The Diplomat
The Government of Spain has extended the offer of Spanish nationality to another 94 Nicaraguan citizens whose nationality has been withdrawn by decision of Daniel Ortega’s regime, as informed yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This was communicated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, to the writer and politician Sergio Ramírez, who has addressed a letter to the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. This offer is added to the one made a few days ago to the 222 persons expelled from Nicaragua and whose Nicaraguan nationality was withdrawn, and to whom Albares has already publicly offered to become Spanish nationals.
As indicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the proposal of the Government of Spain is extended to any citizen of Nicaragua who in the future may be in a situation of statelessness due to the decisions of the Government of Daniel Ortega.
On February 10, the Government offered Spanish nationality to the 222 Nicaraguan political prisoners released by the Daniel Ortega regime and who have been deported to the United States. The offer of Spanish nationality is extended to the political prisoners still held in Nicaraguan jails whom the Ortega government will strip of their nationality for being accused of “treason”.
This was announced that same day by Minister Albares, who specified that the process could be quick, by means of a naturalization letter. On Thursday, Nicaraguan authorities expelled to the United States a group of 222 “political prisoners”, including five priests, whom they disqualified for life from holding public office or elected office and stripped them of their nationality by declaring them stateless.
The 222 Nicaraguan prisoners, among them seven who tried to challenge the current president for the presidency, were expelled to the United States “as traitors to the homeland”, and received a humanitarian permit which will allow them to live and work in the United States.
The former Nicaraguan presidential pre-candidate Juan Sebastián Chamorro thanked, on behalf of the 222 prisoners, the offer of nationality made to them by Spain. “I am sure that many of the political prisoners will see this as an option,” he said in a virtual press conference from Washington, in which he thanked Spain for having worked intensely in recent years for the democratization of Nicaragua. Although they have received a humanitarian permit that will allow them to live and work in the United States for two years, the Nicaraguans are stateless after the Ortega regime announced that it was taking away their nationality “as traitors to the homeland”.
