The National Assembly approved Monday 25th the “Law for the Protection of Nicaraguans Against Sanctions and External Aggressions,” aimed at nullifying and rendering legally void international sanctions against institutions and agents of the Ortega-Murillo regime. The law also mandates private banks in the country to provide or restore services to sanctioned individuals and entities.
The law was passed unanimously, as is customary in the Ortega-controlled parliament.
The new law states that “in Nicaragua, sanctions imposed by states, groups of states, governments, or foreign organizations that violate international law are declared null and void without any legal effect. These sanctions are invalid and unenforceable throughout the national territory, regardless of their nature or scope.”
This legislation places the Nicaraguan banks in a difficult position, as it forces banks to violate international regulations and standards by prohibiting them from discontinuing services to public officials and institutions subjected to “financial death” after being sanctioned for human rights violations.
Dozens of Ortega officials, including the “co-president” and his wife, Rosario Murillo, as well as some of their children, have been sanctioned by the United States, Canada, and European countries for committing human rights violations and acts of corruption.
Institutions such as the National Police and the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (Telcor), among others, have also been sanctioned.
The most recent sanctions were imposed by the Swiss government, which on October 22 renewed measures against 21 officials of the Ortega-Murillo regime and three institutions for human rights violations, attacks on democracy, and undermining the rule of law in Nicaragua.