Nicaragua: life imprisonment for "heinous" crimes, the opposition is outraged
Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, in Managua (Nicaragua) on September 5, 2018. REUTERS / Oswaldo Rivas
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3 min
The Nicaraguan Parliament on Monday (January 18th) adopted a constitutional reform which provides for a life sentence for perpetrators of crimes characterized by "hate", a reform seen by the opposition as a new maneuver to suppress it.
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The measure was adopted by the votes of the Sandinista Front, the ruling left party, and its allies, which support the government of President Daniel Ortega, and rejected by the opposition, said the member of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party, Azucena Castillo - right-wing opposition.
It amends an article of the Constitution and now provides that "
exceptionally
", a life sentence will be imposed for anyone who is convicted
of
"
serious crimes when they took place in circumstances of hatred, cruelty, degrading or humiliating
" .
A sentence of 30 years in prison was previously the maximum penalty provided for in the penal code, and the new article does not specify what type of offense qualifies as “
hate
”.
A law and a reform of the penal code still have to be approved before this measure comes fully into force.
Criminalization of the opposition
But for the opposition, it is the door open to political interpretations, according to Ms. Castillo, who fears that this measure further criminalizes the opposition, whose activities are regularly qualified as "
terrorists
" or inspired by the "
hate,
”she said.
President Ortega, in power since 2007 and who could run for a fourth term in November, has already approved several laws targeting the opposition, especially since the country was rocked in 2018 by protests demanding his departure.
►Also read: Nicaragua: many opponents arbitrarily deprived of their liberty since 2018
Parliament thus approved a law making it possible to impose sentences of up to 20 years in prison on demonstrators and another which regulates funding from abroad for the benefit of civil organizations, on the grounds of defending national sovereignty.
In October, Parliament gave the green light to a law that punishes perpetrators of information that the government considers false or defamatory.
And in December, another law banning the election of anyone who approves or supports the imposition of sanctions against Nicaragua was also passed.
(
with
AFP
)
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