WASHINGTON _ The Trump administration slapped sanctions on three top Nicaraguan officials Thursday, accusing them of human rights abuses, corruption and ordering attacks on peaceful protesters.
The sanctions come as Washington turns up the heat on the Central American nation where more than 200 people have died in two months of anti-government protests.
"The United States will not stand by idly in the face of the abuses taking place in Nicaragua," a senior administration official said. "Rather we will expose and hold accountable those responsible for the Nicaraguan government's ongoing violence and intimidation campaign against its people."
The U.S. Treasury Department is targeting three top officials for human rights abuses under the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the executive branch to impose visa bans and targeted sanctions on individuals anywhere in the world responsible for committing human rights violations or engaging in corrupt activity.
The officials include Francisco Lopez, head of the private company Albanisa, a joint venture between the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, PDVSA, and its Nicaraguan counterpart. They are also targeting Francisco Diaz, who leads the National Police and, critics charge, orchestrated the repression and killing of Nicaraguans, and Fidel Antonio Moreno Brillones, who the Trump administration said has directed attacks against demonstrators for years and is seen as the main link between the municipal government and the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
In May, senior administration officials told McClatchy they were crafting a range of options, including potential sanctions, against the government of Nicaragua and President Daniel Ortega if it fails to properly address the concerns of student groups, church leaders and other civic players about increasing violence and political repression.
Vice President Mike Pence, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, among others have publicly condemned the Nicaraguan government's aggressive reaction to the protests.
Nicaragua has been relatively stable in the region for years, enticing Americans to visit for beach vacations. And the Ortega administration benefited from a relatively strong economy in part due to years of support in the forms of cash and oil from Venezuela and former leader Hugo Chavez, aid that helped Ortega gain popularity and power.
Now flights going to Nicaragua are largely empty of tourists as sweeping protests have shattered the image of a peaceful country.
"The Nicaraguan government's violent response has included beating of journalists, attacks against local TV and radio stations and assaults on mothers mourning the deaths of their children," another senior administration official said. "At the Treasury Department, we're taking immediate action to address these serious abuses of human rights and corruption in Nicaragua."
