Member States' ambassadors to the European Union (Coreper) approved on Wednesday 25 September the creation of a legal framework that could later lead to the adoption of targeted sanctions – visa ban and assets freeze – against Nicaraguan leaders.
This framework, which will be formally endorsed at a subsequent ministerial meeting, responds in particular to the European Parliament's specific request of March 2019 to punish persons guilty of human rights violations in Nicaragua (see EUROPE 12214/18).
The European Union's objective is to maintain pressure on the Nicaraguan authorities to continue the national reconciliation dialogue.
On Wednesday, Spain reportedly submitted draft specific conclusions to national delegations.
Led since 2006 by the former Sandinista guerrilla Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua has been going through a serious political crisis since April 2018. The repression of demonstrations has led to the arrest of hundreds of opponents and the death of more than 300 people. Some opponents, including the Belgian-Nicaraguan Amaya Coppens, were released in June (see EUROPE 12274/31). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)