Mexicio City: On Wednesday, Nicaragua revoked the citizenship of 94 political opponents, including the authors Sergio Ramrez and Gioconda Belli.
The 94 individuals were labelled "traitors" and lost their Nicaraguan citizenship, according to a statement read aloud by Appeals Court Justice Ernesto Rodrguez Meja.
Their possessions would be seized, according to Mejia.
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Activist for human rights Vilma Nez, former Sandinista rebel commander Luis Carrión, and journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro were among those on the list, according to him, and they were all guilty of "spreading false news" and "conspiracy to undermine national integrity."
What legal framework the declaration was based on was unclear. A bill that would enable the government to revoke citizenship has not yet been fully approved by Nicaragua's congress.
Since President Daniel Ortega started detaining critics two years ago, the majority of those named have fled Nicaragua, according to Mejia, who claimed they have been labelled "fugitives." What might happen to those named who are still in Nicaragua was not mentioned.
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The action comes after Ortega boarded a flight to the US with 222 political prisoners, including priests, students, activists, and political leaders.
Shortly after, Ortega's administration decided to revoke the citizenship of the expelled former inmates.
Analysts, attorneys, and human rights organisations describe it as a political ruse. They assert that it also breaks international law and that it is unprecedented in scope and impact, at least within the Western Hemisphere.
Ramirez declared in 2021 that he would reside in Spain after Ortega's administration attempted to have him arrested and forbade his most recent book. From 1985 to 1990, the 79-year-old author served as vice president in Ortega's first administration. However, he separated himself from Ortega in the middle of the 1990s along with other thinkers and ex-guerrillas.
Since Nicaraguan security forces violently put down widespread anti-government protests in 2018, thousands have fled into exile. According to Ortega, the demonstrations were really an attempt at a coup with support from abroad that was meant to remove him from power and persuade other countries to impose sanctions on members of his family and government.
Nicaraguan authorities detained seven potential opposition presidential candidates to clear the field prior to Ortega's reelection in November 2021. Hundreds of nongovernmental organisations that Ortega claimed were receiving foreign funding and using it to undermine his government were also shut down by the government.
According to Peter J. Spiro, a professor of international law at Temple University, and others, removing citizenship in this situation is against a treaty signed in 1961 by nations that are members of the United Nations, including Nicaragua.
Governments are prohibited from "depriving any person or group of persons of their nationality on racial, ethnic, religious or political grounds," according to the treaty.
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Spiro pointed out that there are some situations in which governments can revoke citizenship, such as when a person gains citizenship in another country when the first country forbids dual citizenship. But when citizenship is being used as a political tool, he argued, it cannot be ended.
The 222 exiles have been offered citizenship by Spain, while the Americans have given the Nicaraguans temporary protection for two years.