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Edgard Parrales was abducted by unknown individuals near his home in Managua, his wife and a human rights activist say.
The former Nicaraguan ambassador to the United States of America – who has been critical of President Daniel Ortega – has been arrested in Managua, according to his wife and human rights activist.
Edgard Parrales was abducted by gunmen near his home on Monday, his wife, Carmen Dolores Cordova, and the President of the Nicaragua Center for Human Rights, Vilma Nunez.
“He was arrested at his home, it was not a uniformed police officer but two civilian casualties who took him in a car,” Nunez said.
Parrales was one of the few politicians to publicly denounce Ortega, who has been charged with heresy, in recent months.
He also referred to the “nonsense” that Ortega declared planning to leave from OAS, a regional organization that has criticized the Ortega government for its oppression and rigging elections earlier this month.
“It’s not easy to get out of OAS,” Parrales said. “It takes two years for this to happen, while Nicaragua is still complying with human rights law.”
Jose Miguel Vivanco, chief of the Americas of Human Rights Watch division, condemned the arrest.
“Ortega’s message is clear: Follow anyone who opposes him,” Vivanco said on Twitter.
Ortega was elected for a fourth consecutive election term condemned as illegitimate after seven potential opponents were arrested and detained before the vote.
The OAS General Assembly voted against the election, saying it was “free, fair or transparent, and non-democratic”.
Twenty-five U.S. states voted in favor of the vote, while seven – including Mexico – rejected it. Nicaragua is the only one that has voted against it.
Ortega rulers of the Sandinista Front and its allies oversee Congress and all government agencies.
Ortega served as president from 1985 to 1990, following the 1979 uprising that toppled the Somoza dictatorship, before returning in 2007.
But critics say Ortega’s rule is similar to the government he rejected. This was demonstrated especially at this time anti-government protests in 2018, which was brutally carried out by security forces and pro-government forces. Many protesters were arrested and more than 300 people were killed during the riots, with Ortega condemning the protests as “terrorists”.
The government has not commented on Parrales’ detention.
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