<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Socialist Parliamentary Group has called on the government to take the "necessary and appropriate diplomatic action" to "put an end to the violation of human, political, and civil rights in Nicaragua" and to support European sanctions against the country's political leaders.</strong></h4> In a Non-Law Proposal (NLP) presented on April 3 for debate in the Joint Committee on the European Union, the PSOE points out that "thousands of people have left Nicaragua due to political instability, insecurity, and economic collapse," which represents "one of the largest refugee crises in the country's history." “Since the outbreak of social protests in 2018 in Nicaragua,” it continues, the country has seen “a constant and alarming deterioration of the system of rights and guarantees for all its citizens,” repression of “all sectors of society,” and the approval of “a package of laws that jeopardize the exercise of basic human and civil rights, especially the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, rights that have been severely restricted.” According to the Socialists, “Spain has always stood by the Nicaraguan people,” leading “international efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in the country” and supporting, “from the outset, a political, democratic, and peaceful solution that, as it could not be otherwise, is one that belongs to Nicaraguans.” An example of this involvement, the NLP continues, is the granting of Spanish nationality by letter of naturalization to Nicaraguans deprived of their nationality “as a form of punishment.” A total of 146 Nicaraguan dissidents received Spanish nationality by naturalization between 2023 and 2024 after being expelled and stripped of their citizenship by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo (husband and wife and co-presidents of Nicaragua). Therefore, the Socialist motion urges the government to "guarantee and protect" the human rights of all Nicaraguan citizens, both inside and outside the country, in accordance with international law, and to continue carrying out "those diplomatic actions that are necessary and appropriate with the aim of ending the violation of human, political, and civil rights in Nicaragua, supporting an inclusive dialogue on justice and democracy as the only way out of the current crisis." It also urges Pedro Sánchez's administration to "continue to maintain any necessary sanctions against the political leaders of the Nicaraguan government, within the framework of the European Union," to "guarantee international protection, within the European Union and among its Member States, for Nicaraguans fleeing persecution," and to "strictly uphold the principle of non-refoulement." "Given the exceptional situation in Nicaragua, and for as long as these extraordinary circumstances persist," the PSOE also urges the government to "allow the presentation of expired passports for the processing of any of the authorizations and permits provided for in immigration regulations, as well as for the issuance and delivery of foreign identity cards, if requested by Nicaraguan nationals," and to "promote these measures within the European Union and among its Member States."
