Nicaragua’s authoritarian leader, Daniel Ortega, is set to introduce a sweeping overhaul of the country’s criminal code, granting himself unprecedented powers to seize assets, impose harsh prison sentences, and prosecute dissidents abroad.
The proposed changes, presented to the Nicaraguan National Assembly on Thursday, are expected to be rubber-stamped into law as early as Tuesday, September 3. The modifications will amend 27 articles of the Nicaraguan criminal code, including the introduction of the “principle of universality,” allowing Nicaraguan laws to be applied to Nicaraguans and foreigners who have committed crimes such as money laundering and terrorism outside of Nicaraguan territory.
The Ortega regime has a history of utilizing accusations of alleged terrorism and money laundering to persecute and imprison dissidents, and has seized the assets of over 550 non-governmental organizations. The new changes will introduce prison sentences of up to 15 years for those who call for international sanctions against the regime, its businesses, or officials. The proposal also increases prison sentences for what the regime defines as “treason” to a maximum of 30 years.
Nicaraguan opposition politician Felix Maradiaga described the upcoming changes as “a dangerous escalation” in the regime’s repressive strategy. Maradiaga warned that the changes will not only expand the regime’s ability to persecute opponents within Nicaragua but also extend its reach beyond national borders.
Former Nicaraguan lawmaker Eliseo Núñez pointed out that the changes will introduce life imprisonment for those accused of money laundering, a penalty previously reserved for heinous crimes. Núñez emphasized that most of Ortega’s dissidents and non-governmental organizations have been accused of “money laundering,” which is why he considers the changes will increase criminalization of the dictator’s opponents.
Nicaraguan lawyer and human rights activist Yonarqui Martínez argued that the ability to hold trials in absentia against dissidents violates the right to due process and facilitates the confiscation of dissidents’ properties without a final sentence. Martínez warned that the reform will “simplify and perfect” the violation of the right to property of Nicaraguans.
The Ortega regime has dramatically increased its repression of dissidents since the 2018 wave of anti-communist protests. Ortega has banished dozens of dissidents, seizing their assets, and stripping them of their Nicaraguan nationality, rendering them stateless persons in clear violation of international law. The regime has also launched a brutal persecution campaign against the Nicaraguan Catholic Church, resulting in the banishment of its members and the unjust imprisonment of its priests.
