CGuatemala CityGuatemala on Thursday welcomed 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners and prisoners of conscience detained by the government of Daniel Ortega, including student leaders, religious leaders and human rights defenders.
The announcement was made by the White House, which thanked “the leadership and generosity of the Guatemalan government for graciously accepting these Nicaraguan citizens” in a press release.
He also praised Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo for “his continued leadership throughout the region in addressing humanitarian issues and defending democratic freedom.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Arévalo on his X account, formerly Twitter, “for receiving political prisoners” and said that “Nicaraguans deserve to live in democracy and free from persecution in their country of origin.”
In a message on the same social network, Arévalo said that Guatemala has shown its firm democratic conviction. “Today we reaffirm that commitment and give back the international solidarity that we have received so many times, welcoming 135 Nicaraguan brothers, freed political prisoners. Only in freedom do democracy, life and humanity flourish. Welcome, Nicaraguan brothers!” added the president.
In a statement, the Guatemalan presidency reported that the United States provided voluntary transportation of the Nicaraguan citizens to the Central American country, while in Guatemala they will be given food, lodging and medical assistance, including psychological support in cooperation between both countries and their humanitarian partners.
“To help them recover and begin the difficult work of rebuilding their lives,” the statement added.
The release, the White House said, came as a result of negotiations between the three countries.
After arriving at the Guatemalan Air Force on Thursday morning, the Nicaraguan citizens were registered by Immigration and transported in yellow buses to a shelter. Several of them shouted “Long live Nicaragua!” In Guatemala, they will be able to request asylum or refuge in the United States or other countries.
“No one should be imprisoned for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights to free expression, association, and religious practice. Among the 135 Nicaraguan citizens released today are 13 members of the Texas-based Mountain Gateway organization, along with Catholic laypeople, students, and others whom Daniel Ortega and (Nicaraguan Vice President) Rosario Murillo view as a threat to their authoritarian regime,” the White House said in the statement.
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– 2024-09-10 22:42:14
