The Sandinista regime celebrates the expulsion of opponents in the streets

MANAGUA (AP) – The political machine of the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua organized a march of thousands of supporters on Saturday to celebrate the government’s decision to expel and send to the United States 222 opposition leaders, activists, priests, students and journalists who were prisoners.

Participants carried red and black flags of the Sandinista National Liberation Front during their peaceful mobilization, like those the government has banned the opposition from carrying in recent years.

Lizbeth Chávez, who carried a portrait of Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo, said “we are marching, celebrating our sovereignty, defending our sovereignty and telling the Yankee Empire that we are here, we will continue here, we will stay. here .”

President Daniel Ortega had said it was Murillo’s idea to make the sudden decision to release 222 opposition members from prison on Thursday to fly them to Washington. The ruling couple called these opponents “terrorists” funded by Washington to destabilize the Nicaraguan government.

While the plane was still in the air, Sandinista lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment to strip former prisoners of their Nicaraguan citizenship.

The United States granted all exiles a two-year humanitarian parole to allow them to work and seek asylum in the country. For its part, the Spanish government offered them citizenship.

US authorities said the opponents’ release was a positive sign after years of intransigence by Ortega, who insisted he had asked for nothing in return.

The United States and several European countries have increased sanctions against the Ortega family, his close entourage and members of the Nicaraguan government.

Saturday’s Sandinista show of force came a day after a Nicaraguan judge sentenced Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez – an outspoken government critic – to 26 years in prison on various charges, including spreading false information and attack on the government. .

Álvarez was supposed to board the plane for the United States on Thursday morning but he refused to leave Nicaragua, he was arrested and convicted the next day.

During the mobilization on Saturday, Donal Manuel Mendoza said: “We are marching because we have defeated the mercenary force of the empire. We took them out of the country.”