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The United States has imposed sanctions on Nicaraguan Attorney General Wendy Carolina Morales Urbina on Thursday, marking a significant move in its efforts against those it sees as complicit in oppressing the country’s opposition.
The Treasury Department has identified Morales Urbina as a pivotal figure in the Nicaraguan government’s persecution of political prisoners, aligning her closely with the controversial policies of President Daniel Ortega. Ortega, a figure familiar with US sanctions and the nation’s president since 2007, has faced widespread criticism for his administration’s actions against dissenters.
The measures taken are a direct response to Morales Urbina’s actions post-2018, following mass civil protests. She is accused of aiding President Ortega in his efforts to quell these protests, resulting in the incarceration of political opponents, suppression of media voices, and the exile of critics.
Further detailing Morales Urbina’s involvement, the Treasury Department highlighted her role in employing an anti-terrorism law to wrongly classify opposition members as terrorists, aiming to block their financial resources. Additionally, her efforts extended to the illegal nationalization of properties owned by dissidents and the dispossession of over 200 political prisoners, revealing a broader strategy of suppression and control.
The State Department supported the Treasury’s sanctions with a statement of its own, outlining Morales Urbina’s actions in silencing opposition, seizing property from Nicaraguans, and supporting efforts to strip citizenship from exiled political prisoners. Her accountability extends to the closure of over 3,500 civil society organizations and attacks on religious institutions and leaders.
