[Pages H1543-H1545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

SUPPORTING PEOPLE OF NICARAGUA IN THEIR PEACEFUL EFFORTS TO PROMOTE
DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 754) expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives that the United States should continue to support the
people of Nicaragua in their peaceful efforts to promote democracy and
human rights, and use the tools under United States law to increase
political and financial pressure on the government of Daniel Ortega, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 754

Whereas the government of Daniel Ortega has concentrated
power and brought about the progressive deterioration of
democratic conditions in Nicaragua;
Whereas recent elections in Nicaragua, including the 2016
Presidential elections, have been marred by irregularities
and characterized by significant restrictions on the
participation of opposition parties and the absence of
credible international and local electoral observers;
Whereas Nicaraguan security forces, parapolice, and other
actors working under the direction of the Ortega regime
committed gross violations of human rights and acts of
repression, resulting in more than 325 deaths, over 2,000
injuries, and at least 800 arbitrary detentions during the
peaceful protests that took place in 2018, according to the
Organization of American States;
Whereas a report by the Interdisciplinary Group of
Independent Experts, appointed by the Organization of
American States Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,
determined that the Ortega regime used deliberate, lethal
force against protesters and committed acts of torture that
meet the international legal standard of crimes against
humanity;
Whereas an estimated 62,000 Nicaraguans fled the country
between April 2018 and April 2019, according to the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;
Whereas the Ortega government reneged on its commitment in
2019 to release all political prisoners by releasing just 392
people, of which 286 were released to house arrest with
charges still pending, while the Blue and White National
Unity coalition alleges that there remain at least 56
political prisoners as of February 15, 2020;
Whereas a United States citizen and Navy veteran, 57-year-
old Eddy Montes, was shot and killed while in the custody of
the Nicaraguan police at La Modelo Prison on May 16, 2019;
Whereas the government of Daniel Ortega has severely
restricted freedom of the press by closing five local
television stations, attacking independent radio stations,
arbitrarily detaining journalists, and illegally restricting
print supplies from entering the country;
Whereas the Ortega regime has violated the economic and
political rights protections of indigenous communities, rural
campesinos, land rights defenders, and those living in the
Caribbean Autonomous Regions of Nicaragua;
Whereas, on November 27, 2018, Executive Order 13851 was
issued, which blocks the property of certain persons
contributing to the situation in Nicaragua, and its
application was expanded on September 4, 2019;
Whereas the Departments of State and the Treasury have
imposed targeted sanctions on over 20 Nicaraguan individuals
and entities, including First Lady and Vice President Rosario
Murillo and Daniel Ortega's son, Laureano Ortega, as well as
Nicaragua's Banco Corporativo (Bancorp);
Whereas the bipartisan Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality
Act (NICA Act), was

[[Page H1544]]

signed into law on December 20, 2018, allowing the Department
of the Treasury to sanction non-United States persons
implicated in egregious human rights abuses and corruption in
Nicaragua;
Whereas, in June 2019, Canada imposed sanctions on 12
members of the Nicaraguan Government engaged in gross and
systemic human rights violations;
Whereas the Ortega government has not complied with efforts
of the commission appointed by the Permanent Council of the
Organization of American States seeking a peaceful resolution
to the social and political crisis;
Whereas, on September 15, 2019, the Ortega government
denied entry into the country to an official Organization of
American States delegation mission; and
Whereas, beginning on November 14, 2019, Nicaraguan police
conducted attacks on churches throughout the country, cut
water to hunger strikers barricaded inside a church in
Masaya, and arrested 13 people attempting to bring them
water: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on the Nicaraguan Government to immediately
release all political prisoners without conditions and cease
all acts of violence, repression, and intimidation against
dissenting voices in Nicaragua;
(2) condemns the Nicaraguan Government's continued failure
to comply with agreements made with the Organization of
American States;
(3) urges the Ortega government to respect Nicaraguans'
constitutional rights and implement electoral reforms
including free, fair, multiparty elections open to
international observers, in compliance with the agreement
reached through negotiations with the Civic Alliance for
Justice and Democracy and the Blue and White National Unity
(UNAB) in March 2019;
(4) expresses full support for the people of Nicaragua,
Nicaraguan independent media, and Nicaraguan civil society
organizations that are working for a peaceful return to
democratic order in Nicaragua;
(5) recognizes and supports efforts of the United States
Government to promote democracy in Nicaragua and hold corrupt
actors and human rights abusers in the Nicaraguan Government
accountable for their actions;
(6) urges the United States Government to continue to apply
pressure on the Ortega government and consider additional
sanctions against those Nicaraguan officials who have
violated the human rights of their citizens or committed acts
of significant corruption; and
(7) urges the international community to hold the Ortega
government accountable for human rights abuses, including
attacks on religious freedom, and restrict its access to
foreign financing unless or until it allows for free, fair,
and prompt elections monitored by credible international and
local electoral observers.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.

General Leave

Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H. Res. 754.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking Chairman Engel and Ranking
Member McCaul for their continued focus on the human rights situation
in Nicaragua.
I would also like to thank my colleague, Ranking Member Francis
Rooney from Florida, for working with me to introduce this resolution.
This resolution highlights the severe human rights abuses that have
taken place in Nicaragua and conveys bipartisan support for the
Nicaraguan people as they seek to reclaim their fundamental rights.
In 2018, repression by Nicaraguan security forces resulted in over
325 deaths. According to international human rights groups, Nicaraguan
security forces used a deliberate strategy of shooting to kill,
committing abuses that rose to the level of crimes against humanity.
While President Ortega has since released hundreds of political
prisoners, seemingly in an effort to reduce international pressure,
there remain at least 56 political prisoners in Nicaragua. Moreover,
many of those who were released are still routinely harassed by the
authorities. Political prisoners in Nicaragua are subjected to sexual
abuse, suffocation with plastic bags, and electric shocks.
Over 80,000 Nicaraguans have fled the country since April 2018, many
of them to escape persecution. I urge the administration not to turn
its back to Nicaraguans who come to the United States fleeing violence
and persecution.
This resolution makes clear that the United States Congress stands
with the Nicaraguan people, who are demanding accountability in the
face of such brutal repression. It calls for tangible steps from the
Nicaraguan Government, including immediate release of all political
prisoners and the implementation of electoral reforms that Nicaraguan
civil society organizations have long called for.
I hope that my colleagues will join me in sending this strong
bipartisan message in support of the Nicaraguan people.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H. Res. 754, expressing the support of the
people of Nicaragua in their peaceful effort to promote democracy and
human rights, authored by the chairman of the Western Hemisphere,
Civilian Security, and Trade Subcommittee, Mr. Sires.
Daniel Ortega and his socialist Sandinista government continue to
hold onto power through corruption, intimidation, and violence against
the people of Nicaragua.
Since his return to power in 2007, Ortega, an ally of Venezuelan
dictator Nicolas Maduro and the Castro regime in Cuba, has dismantled
Nicaragua's democratic institutions and enriched himself and his family
at the expense of the people of one of the poorest countries in the
Western Hemisphere.
In 2018, Nicaraguan security forces directed by Ortega violently
suppressed peaceful protests that led to at least 325 deaths, 2,000
injuries, and the arbitrary detention of more than 800 Nicaraguans.
Since then, Ortega has resisted calls by the international community
to restore respect for human rights in the country and pass reforms to
allow for free and fair elections.
In response, the United States imposed individual sanctions on
Nicaragua's First Lady and two of Ortega's sons. The Treasury
Department also sanctioned one of Nicaragua's main banks and, most
recently, Nicaragua's National Police for continuing to facilitate
corruption and carry out human rights violations on behalf of the
Ortega regime.
This resolution condemns the actions of the Ortega regime and
expresses full support for the freedom-loving people of Nicaragua in
their struggle for democracy and freedom from Ortega's tyranny.
This resolution also recognizes the administration's effort to
promote democracy in Nicaragua and the actions it has taken to hold
corrupt officials and human rights abusers accountable.
The United States remains committed to democracy and respect for
human rights in the Western Hemisphere, and this resolution urges the
international community in joining us in these efforts.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for
the purpose of closing.
Consideration of this resolution comes at an important moment for
Nicaragua. As the 2021 elections approach, it will be key for the
international community to speak with one voice in demanding that
specific conditions be met in order for those elections to be deemed
credible.
As a first step, President Ortega must take immediate action to allow
for the creation of a newly comprised and independent electoral
council, the development of a reliable voter registry, and the granting
of full access to international election observers for the 2021
elections.
Absent immediate and tangible steps to implement these electoral
reforms, the United States should increase its pressure on Ortega and
his inner circle.
I hope our allies in Europe will also step up their efforts and work
with the United States toward a coordinated sanctions strategy.
I thank my colleagues for sending this bipartisan message that we
will

[[Page H1545]]

continue to stand with the Nicaraguan people in their efforts to
restore democracy in their country.
Mr. Speaker, I hope all Members will join me in supporting the
passage of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

{time} 1630

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 754, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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