Alckmin’s party, PSB, repudiates Ortega’s dictatorship in Nicaragua

Two days after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) downplayed the situation experienced in Nicaragua with dictator Daniel Ortega, the PSB, party of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, adopted a tougher tone in criticizing the regime in the Central American country. .

In a post on social networks this Thursday (9), the president of the party, Carlos Siqueira, said that the party cannot “remain indifferent to the flagrant violations of human rights, arbitrary arrests, summary judgments and exceptions, murders and torture against political dissidents, among other practices typical of dictatorial regimes, which occur in Nicaragua” (see in full).

“The PSB expresses its broadest and most total repudiation of the dictatorial practices of Mr. Daniel Ortega and stands in solidarity with the Nicaraguan people, who need a future that does not reproduce the past of political and social violence to which they have been subjected for a long time”, he said.

Siqueira also states that democracy does not allow conciliation “to any degree with those who challenge it, especially when this happens in a violent and even bloodthirsty way”. This week, the Brazilian government proposed to the United Nations (UN) the opening of a “constructive” dialogue with Ortega and other relevant actors.

Lula keeps silent about Ortega dictatorship

Earlier this week, a UN report documented cases of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention, torture including sexual violence, arbitrary deprivation of nationality, among other abuses. Oppression of Christians is also common in Nicaragua, where religious leaders have been jailed without trial for participating in demonstrations against Ortega.

More recently, the dictatorship closed down the main employers’ organization in the country, in one of the hardest blows ever dealt by the regime against business chambers in Nicaragua.

However, even with the information consolidated by the UN, Lula had been reticent to condemn the Ortega regime, and diplomacy even refused to sign a joint declaration agreed upon by 55 countries against the Nicaraguan dictator. Days later, when the government proposed the establishment of a “constructive dialogue”, the Brazilian ambassador went so far as to say that Brazil was “concerned” with the abuses committed in Nicaragua, but avoided issuing a scathing condemnation against Ortega.

“The Brazilian government follows events in Nicaragua with great attention and is concerned about reports of serious human rights violations and restrictions on democratic space in that country. In particular, summary executions, arbitrary arrests and torture against political dissidents,” said Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes during a session of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday (7) in Geneva, Switzerland.

He also said that Brazil “is ready to explore ways for this situation to be constructively addressed in dialogue with the government of Nicaragua and all relevant actors”. Tovar also stated that Brazil is open to granting asylum to the more than 300 Nicaraguans expelled from the country by the Ortega regime.