Ortega orders expulsion of European Union ambassador to Nicaragua

The ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Nicaragua, Bettina Muscheidt, was verbally notified of her expulsion from Nicaragua by order of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, sources linked to the European Parliament told CONFIDENCIAL.

An unidentified Ortega Foreign Ministry official communicated verbally with Ambassador Muscheidt and justified her non grata status alleging that it was due to “interference and disrespect for national sovereignty” on the part of the European Union.

Officially, the Government of Nicaragua has not issued an official communication, while the EU delegation in Managua, and the European Commission in Brussels, have not yet commented on the de facto expulsion of Muscheidt, who was appointed to the post as representative on July 30, 2021.

“During my diplomatic mission I will continue to promote and defend the values ​​and principles that guide the actions of the European Union inside and outside our borders: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights,” Muscheidt expressed in her message upon arrival in Nicaragua.

The de facto expulsion of Ambassador Muscheidt occurs after this Monday, September 26, the delegate of the European Union to the United Nations (UN), Charles Michel, urged the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to “return the sovereignty of Nicaragua to the Nicaraguan people” and to “restore democracy” in the country, where the human rights of the population are systematically violated.

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“The EU urges the Nicaraguan authorities to fulfill their own commitments, the Nicaraguan Constitution and international human rights laws and regulations,” Michel added during his speech at the 77th United Nations General Assembly.

He also warned that, since the November 7, 2021 elections, widely considered illegitimate, the repression has continued and the situation has deteriorated even more.

“The Nicaraguan authorities must end all repression, including repression against political opponents, clergy, independent media, civil society and human rights defenders, and guarantee full respect for human rights, including freedom of assembly, association, expression, and religion or belief,” the delegation said.

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Belligerence in demands for a democratic solution

The 27-member European Union, together with the United States, Canada, and several Latin American countries, is stepping up the demand that the Ortega dictatorship restore democracy and civil liberties in Nicaragua.

A week before the EU expressed its position in the United Nations General Assembly, the deputies of European Parliament approved six proposals for a resolution on the situation in Nicaragua, “in particular the arrest of Bishop Rolando Alvarez. They demand the immediate release of the religious leader and all the 200+ political prisoners of the Ortega-Murillo regime.

The European parliamentarians also demanded that in the face of the constant abuses more sanctions be applied to the Nicaraguan regime.

Some even mentioned the activation of the democratic clause of the Association Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Central America, which would provoke the expulsion of Nicaragua from this free trade agreement.

• You can also read: European Union extends sanctions against Ortega regime for another year

Since 2018, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have approved seven resolutions on the Nicaraguan situation. One in May 2018; another in March 2019 —after the visit of a delegation of MEPs to the country—; a third in December 2019; a fourth in October 2020; the fifth in July 2021; the sixth in December of the same year; and the last one in June 2022.

Particularly in the June resolution, a large majority of the European Parliament demanded that the European Union (EU) sanction fourteen judges and three appeals magistrates. At the same time, they called for an investigation —through the International Criminal Court— of the Government and President Daniel Ortega, for crimes against humanity.

MEPs also condemned the cancellations of some 2000 non-profits organizations by the National Assembly and Ministry of Interior, on orders from Ortega and the rubber stamp Sandinista Front legislators.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times.