Central America

Three Nicaraguan opposition figures guilty of ‘undermining national integrity’

AFP

Three key opposition figures in Nicaragua including a former deputy foreign minister have been found guilty of “undermining national integrity,” a rights group said Friday, in a continuing crackdown on opponents of President Daniel Ortega.

A total of 46 opposition figures, including seven former presidential candidates, were jailed last year before a fraught presidential election that saw Ortega re-elected for a fourth consecutive term.

The Nicaraguan president has accused them of plotting to overthrow him with the support of Washington.

Victor Tinoco, an ex-guerrilla and former deputy foreign minister in Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front, was among the latest group convicted but has yet to be sentenced, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said.

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Academic Max Jerez and opposition leader Nidia Barbosa were also found guilty of the same charge, taking to 18 the number of opposition figures convicted of crimes against national integrity or “conspiracy.”

The prosecution is seeking 13 years in prison for Tinoco and Jerez, and 11 for Barbosa.

Tinoco joined the Sandinista guerrillas in the 1970s, becoming ambassador to the United Nations after the triumph of the Nicaraguan revolution in 1979.

He served as deputy foreign minister between 1981 and 1990.

Jerez, a political science student at the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua, was involved in negotiations to end a political crisis triggered by mass protests in 2018 against tax hikes imposed by Ortega.

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The demonstrations left 355 people dead, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The government labeled the protests an attempted coup.

Central America

Panama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua

On Monday (March 31, 2025), Panama extended the safe-conduct pass for former President Ricardo Martinelli by three more days to allow him to travel to Nicaragua, after the Central American country refused to receive him due to concerns over an alleged Interpol arrest warrant.

“The National Government has decided to extend the validity of the safe-conduct pass for an additional seventy-two (72) hours, until the end of Thursday, April 3, 2025,” the Panamanian Foreign Ministry stated in a communiqué. The original permit was set to expire Monday at midnight (05:00 GMT on Tuesday).

The Foreign Ministry explained that regarding the ‘humanitarian asylum’ granted to Martinelli last Thursday, which was set to expire Monday at midnight, the Nicaraguan government requested clarifications about an apparent Interpol alert, which had already been dismissed as inadmissible.

Additionally, the Panamanian Supreme Court of Justice, as the highest authority of the Judicial Branch, stated on Monday that it had “no objections” to granting asylum and a safe-conduct to Martinelli, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch.

Central America

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Monday that during last week’s meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, she urged Mexico to reinforce its border with Guatemala and share biometric datawith U.S. authorities.

“I gave her a list of things that President Trump would love to see. And it was exceptional. It was supposed to be a half-hour meeting, but we talked for nearly two hours. It was very productive,” Noem said in an interview with Fox News.

The Homeland Security Secretary requested that Sheinbaum, who has already deployed 10,000 National Guard troopsalong Mexico’s northern border with the U.S., also secure Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala.

Noem added that she also asked the Mexican president to share biometric data with the U.S., to which Sheinbaum responded that she was “willing to discuss it,” although she acknowledged that it could be a controversial issue in her country.

Central America

Panama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending

Panama’s National Police clarified on Sunday that an Interpol alert request for former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) is still under review and has yet to be confirmed. Martinelli was granted a safe-conduct pass last Thursday to leave the Nicaraguan embassy, where he has been seeking asylum since February 2024 after being convicted of corruption.

“The National Police clarifies that there is currently an active process for an Interpol alert, requested by Judge Baloisa Marquínez, against former President Ricardo Martinelli. This request must be analyzed by Interpol’s General Secretariat (headquartered in France) for approval or rejection. If approved, it will be notified to member countries,” the police stated in a press release sent to EFE.

According to the statement, “at the moment, it remains an ongoing procedure, and former President Martinelli does not have a confirmed alert.”

The announcement came hours after National Police Director Jaime Fernández had told the press that an “Interpol alert” for Martinelli had been received on Friday.