By Sir Ronald Sanders 

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States of America and the Organization of American States.   He is besides a Senior Fellow astatine the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College successful the University of Toronto) 

The rights of persons everyplace successful the satellite person to beryllium protected from authoritarian governments that suffocate them.

In the English-speaking Caribbean countries  – 13 of which are the halfway nations of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) – determination is an outstanding contented of respect for human, governmental and civilian rights.

Establishing idiosyncratic rights, including state of speech, state of the media, the close to signifier commercialized unions and governmental parties, and to signifier spiritual faith, were hard won.  The radical of these 13 countries won these freedoms by overcoming the shackles of slavery and indentured labour, assemblage rule, expatriate power of economies, and exploitation.

Today, the 12 autarkic English-speaking countries of the Caribbean can, for the astir part, boast of a grounds of upholding and respecting rights.

Respect for rights is evident erstwhile a governmental enactment loses bureau successful a wide election.  Power is handed implicit peacefully and orderly to the governmental enactment that wins the predetermination done the ballot box.  This was evident precocious successful Grenada, wherever a enactment that had held bureau for decades nether the enactment of the longest serving caput of government, accepted the determination of the electorate and handed implicit the reins of government.

Respect for rights besides includes respect for disapproval expressed successful the media, and tolerance of societal media wherever some supportive and opposing opinions and views are openly stated.

The payment of respect and attraction of these rights is that these 13 countries bask antiauthoritarian freedoms successful which the talents of individuals and groups tin thrive without fearfulness of repression.   In ample measure, it is the enjoyment of these rights that allows these tiny countries to prosper contempt the economical constraints of size and the effects of earthy disasters.

The extortion of these rights is, therefore, important.  Championing them overseas is arsenic important arsenic defending them astatine home.  When rights are violated and abused anywhere, threats are posed to them everywhere.

It is successful this transportation that CARICOM countries person to beryllium acrophobic astir human, political, and civilian rights successful neighbouring states and successful the wider world.  Disregard for rights by governments tin dispersed similar a pandemic if it is not stopped.

The existent concern successful Nicaragua should beryllium a substance of sedate concern.  In November 2021, Daniel Ortega was re-elected arsenic President successful a process that trampled connected rights.  Almost 40 absorption persons were imprisoned, including 7 imaginable statesmanlike candidates; and respective governmental parties were blocked from information successful the election.  Additionally, autarkic media were stifled, journalists were jailed, and galore non-governmental organizations were hounded into oblivion.  Peaceful demonstrations were ruthlessly broken-up, causing hundreds of deaths.

At the clip of the November 2021 election, Ortega had been successful powerfulness for 15 years since 2006.  During that time, helium became arsenic autocratic arsenic the Somoza household whom he  had fought against 4 decades agone arsenic caput of the Sandinistas.

After the election, the regularisation and suppression of rights continued, including by the harassment and imprisonment of immoderate of the men and women who has fought with him to escaped Nicaragua from the tyranny of the Somoza dynasty.  Many of them suffered atrociously successful prison, denied capable nutrient and medicines.  Charges were trumped up against them but their existent transgression successful Ortega’s eyes was their expressed dissent to his government’s policies.

The existent judicial strategy is corrupt and wholly controlled by Ortega, incapable of delivering justice.  The legislature is besides a sham, comprised chiefly of members of his ain party, absorption parties having been disqualified oregon eliminated.

In March 2022, this led to unfastened condemnation by his Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Arturo McFields.  During a unrecorded webcast of a Permanent Council meeting, McFields described the Ortega authorities arsenic a “dictatorship”, which, helium said, is stifling civilian and governmental freedoms successful Nicaragua.

The concern successful Nicaragua has steadily worsened since then.  For example, the fig of governmental prisoners has accrued from 177 successful March to 190 astatine the extremity of June.  Additionally, connected June 29, the authorities closed 101 civic and foundation groups, including the section subdivision of the Missionaries of Charity established by Mother Teresa.  This brought the fig of forced closures of non-governmental organizations implicit the past 4 years to 758.   Ortega’s authorities claims that these nongovernmental groups were moving connected behalf of overseas interests to destabilize his government.  Even if galore of them were funded by overseas sources, the accusation that each 758 were moving to destabilize his authorities rises to a precocious level of paranoia and strains credibility.

On July 6, the Nuns, from Mother Theresa’s missionary, which had been operating for 34 years arsenic a children’s centre and a location for girls and a installation for the elderly, were driven to the borderline with Costa Rica and ordered retired of the country.

On July 4, 4 months earlier scheduled municipal elections, the riot constabulary seized the metropolis halls of 5 municipalities that had been successful the hands of an absorption party, guaranteeing that Ortega’s enactment would triumph what volition present beryllium sham elections.

All this has had a deleterious effect connected Nicaragua.  Tens of thousands of its radical person fled crossed the borders to Costa Rica and Panama.  Many much thousands person trekked done Mexico to the borderline with the United States, their lives successful turmoil; their aboriginal uncertain.  The prospects for Nicaragua dim each day, epitomizing wherefore human, governmental and civilian rights are imperatives and wherefore state loving persons indispensable safeguard them – everywhere.

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