MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

OAS wants dialogue in Nicaragua

The OAS insisted on abiding by “the principle of non-intervention”

The Organization of American States (OAS) asked its 35 members to do their utmost to keep bridges open with the Nicaraguan government to have all political prisoners released and reach an end to human rights violations while allowing international organizations to enter its territory, it was reported in Washington DC.

The OAS Friday approved a resolution condemning human rights violations by the Daniel Ortega regime. The document at the same time calls for greater efforts to achieve dialogue and consider “all additional actions” that could lead to an “effective exercise” of democracy in Nicaragua.

The resolution asks the OAS Working Group on the Central American country to ensure that the agenda for “any dialogue” with the government of Daniel Ortega “be as broad as possible” within the framework of democracy, “international law, and the principle of non-intervention.”

The OAS also requested its 35 member states to make their “best efforts” to maintain a “high-level” dialogue with the Nicaraguan government, which is asked to release all political prisoners, cease human rights violations, and allow international organizations into its territory.

This final version of the resolution was reached after several negotiation meetings between the member countries that proposed the document after it became known that Brazil tried to soften the language of the original proposal, which pointed harshly at the Ortega government.

Brazil's representatives initially presented changes to the draft resolution that spoke of “alleged” human rights abuses and eliminated an article highlighting the departure of thousands of Nicaraguans from the country since 2018, when the crisis in the country worsened.

After negotiations among member countries, Brazil reversed its changes and the final draft was adopted and approved Friday.

Nicaragua decided to leave the OAS in 2021 after the body rejected the legitimacy of the presidential elections that gave Ortega re-election. Nicaragua's departure will become official in November 2023, once two years have passed since the announcement of its decision. Since 2018 the Central American country has been experiencing a socio-political crisis that was worsened by the rigged November elections with most opposition candidates either jailed or in exile.