The Government of the Dominican Republic has communicated this Friday the closure of its Embassy in Nicaragua while "the absence of freedoms and the growing concentration of power in the hands of the co-leaders of the Central American country, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, persist."
The Dominican Foreign Minister, Víctor Bisonó, has emphasized that the diplomatic mission in Managua will not resume operations "until the conditions persist" that, in the opinion of Santo Domingo, undermine the exercise of freedoms and democratic principles in Nicaraguan territory.
The announcement was made during a meeting of foreign ministers from the countries that make up the Organization of American States (OAS). In that forum, Bisonó justified the decision by stating that from the Dominican Republic "we do not want to look back and say in the future that we did not know how to rise to the occasion."
The head of Dominican diplomacy also stressed that "numerous countries in the region have gone through periods of dictatorship and authoritarianism at different times in their history," insisting on the need to "reinforce the collective commitment to the defense of freedoms, democratic institutionalism, and the rights of the peoples of the Americas."
This measure is known after the Nicaraguan Executive announced at the beginning of September the closure of its Embassy in Santo Domingo, following a period of increasing friction between both governments. Previously, the Dominican Republic had summoned its ambassador in Managua in response to the suspension of elections decided by Ortega.
The Nicaraguan president stated in mid-July that there will be no more elections in Nicaragua, a country he has governed since 2007, and accused the opposition of trying to enrich themselves at the expense of the public sector, also advancing that he will promote laws aimed at consolidating his permanence in power.
The OAS demands the end of "systematic repression" in Nicaragua
At the same time, the member states of the OAS, gathered in Washington, have approved this same Friday a resolution in which they express their "deep concern" over the dismantling of democracy in Nicaragua. The text denounces the "systematic repression" of freedoms by the authorities, as well as arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, the "frequent" cases of torture, the withdrawal of nationality, and "forced exile," among other violations attributed to the State.
Consequently, they have demanded from Managua the adoption of "immediate, concrete, and verifiable measures" to reverse the situation. Among them, restore civic space, put an end to reprisals, free "all" political prisoners, recover the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, guarantee the separation of powers, and create the necessary conditions to hold "free, fair, and inclusive" elections.