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        {"code":"26031","sect":"Central America","sect_slug":"central-america","hits":"728","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202202\/centroamerica\/26031","link_edit":"","name":"Putin's Central American Ally","slug":"putins-central-american-ally","info":"Under scrutiny after the death of political prisoner General Hugo Torres, a historic Sandinista who once saved Ortega\u2019s life, the Nicaraguan president has turned to his few international allies for support. As Russia invades Ukraine, Ortega is closing arms deals with Putin. Maybe that explains why he is the only Central American leader vocally supporting the Kremlin\u2019s offensive.","mtag":"Newsletter","noun":{"html":"El Faro English","data":{"el-faro-english":{"sort":"","slug":"el-faro-english","path":"el_faro_english","name":"El Faro English","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"728","pict":{"cms-image-000037138-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37138","name":"cms-image-000037138.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037138.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037138.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037138-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Otto's Take on Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to the crisis in Ukraine&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EOtto's Take on Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to the crisis in Ukraine\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000036990-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"36990","name":"cms-image-000036990.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036990.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036990.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000036990-jpg","text":"","capt":""},"cms-image-000036894-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"36894","name":"cms-image-000036894.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036894.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036894.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000036894-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;El presidente de Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, durante a la XX Cumbre de la Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra Am\u00e9rica-Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos (ALBA-TCP), en el Palacio de la Revoluci\u00f3n de La Habana el 14 de diciembre de 2021. Foto de El Faro: Adalberto ROQUE \/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EEl presidente de Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, durante a la XX Cumbre de la Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra Am\u00e9rica-Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos (ALBA-TCP), en el Palacio de la Revoluci\u00f3n de La Habana el 14 de diciembre de 2021. Foto de El Faro: Adalberto ROQUE \/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":36894,"date":{"live":"2022\/02\/24"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2022","data_post_dateLive_MM":"02","data_post_dateLive_DD":"24","text":"\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESubscribe to our newsletter\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was the only Central American leader to voice \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.confidencial.com.ni\/english\/ortega-supports-putins-deployment-of-troops-to-ukraine-after-recognizing-separatist-regions\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Esupport\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E for Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine Thursday. It makes sense given that Vladimir Putin is one of his only allies. On Feb. 17, Russia \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/es\/rusia-estudia-ampliar-cooperaci%C3%B3n-militar-con-nicaragua\/a-60821817\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Esent\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov to Managua to discuss an \u003Cstrong\u003Eagreement to increase military cooperation\u003C\/strong\u003E between the two countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EManagua is no international arbiter, but Ortega\u2019s speech \u2014 in which he accused NATO of being an instrument of U.S. coup plotting \u2014 reflects his distance from the U.S. and European Union. One analyst told El Faro English that Ortega\u2019s stance on the international crisis suggests that a window for the negotiated release of political prisoners or other government concessions may be a long way off.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn Wednesday, Feb. 23, the government \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/nicaragua-convicts-7-more-opposition-leaders-of-conspiracy\/2022\/02\/23\/5e8cde8e-951a-11ec-bb31-74fc06c0a3a5_story.html\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Econvicted\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E for \u201cconspiracy\u201d seven more political prisoners: presidential candidates F\u00e9lix Maradiaga, Juan Sebasti\u00e1n Chamorro, and Arturo Cruz; activists Tamara D\u00e1vila and Violeta Granera; former congressman Jos\u00e9 Pallais; and businessman Jos\u00e9 Ad\u00e1n Aguirre. The joint trial lasted just seven days.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=1200&ImageHeight=800&ImageId=37138 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Otto's Take on Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to the crisis in Ukraine\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Otto's Take on Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to the crisis in Ukraine \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cI want all of this to be documented, what is happening to be written down, so that my daughter and successive generations know what really took place here, so they can understand what happened,\u201d said Chamorro in a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/3ef66ca7d6aa\/nicaragua-chamorro-maradiaga-convicted-face-13-years-in-prison?e=182447893b\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Estatement\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E after being convicted. \u201cI am innocent. Only God, history, and my country Nicaragua can judge me.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETheir convictions came less than \u003Cstrong\u003Etwo weeks after the death of political prisoner \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202202\/el_salvador\/26006\/Hugo-Torres-el-primer-preso-pol%C3%ADtico-que-fallece-bajo-el-r%C3%A9gimen-orteguista.htm\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003EHugo Torres\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E on Feb. 12. Torres, a former Sandinista commander and former close colleague of Ortega, participated in 1978 in one of the most important Sandinista offensives, the capture of the National Palace. He risked his life in 1974 to free Ortega, then a political prisoner under the Somoza dictatorship. Family members had \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202201\/centroamerica\/25930\/Ortega-Calls-for-Clean-Slate-despite-Dozens-of-Political-Prisoners.htm\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Edenounced\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E that his health had drastically deteriorated and he had been hospitalized.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAfter Torres\u2019 death, three political prisoners who had reported worsening health, including severe weight loss, were \u003Cstrong\u003Eallowed to move to house arrest\u003C\/strong\u003E: Former Foreign Minister Francisco Aguirre Sacasa, 77; former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Jos\u00e9 Pallais, 68; and former ambassador to the United States Arturo Cruz, 68.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cLike El Cid, after his death, Hugo Torres will continue rescuing, one by one, the political prisoners of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.confidencial.com.ni\/opinion\/despues-de-la-muerte-de-hugo-torres-liberar-a-los-presos-politicos\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Ewrites\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro in partner outlet Confidencial.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETorres\u2019 death seemed like a watershed moment. The death brought unwanted national and international attention to the plight of the political prisoners, according to Tiziano Breda, Central America analyst for International Crisis Group. \u201cOrtega is aware that the more he keeps the political prisoners jailed, the higher the cost is going to be,\u201d Breda told El Faro English.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut Ortega\u2019s response to the conflict in Ukraine suggests \u003Cstrong\u003Ethis is not the moment when he plans to negotiate\u003C\/strong\u003E. \u201cTo the contrary,\u201d Breda said. \u201cOrtega\u2019s been showing willingness to place Nicaragua in this international conflict scenario between the West and Russia.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENo Haven for JOH\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENext door in Honduras, a different trial has raised questions about Ortega\u2019s long-term strategy. Despite rumors that former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez would seek asylum in Nicaragua, he was \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202202\/centroamerica\/26012\/Former-US-Ally-in-Cuffs.htm\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Etaken into custody\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E last week after the U.S. sent an extradition request on drug trafficking and weapons charges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOrtega has offered asylum to other former leaders in the region wanted on local corruption allegations, most notably former Salvadoran presidents Mauricio Funes and Salvador S\u00e1nchez Cer\u00e9n. But Breda argues that \u003Cstrong\u003Eoffering asylum to Hern\u00e1ndez would have caused diplomatic problems with the U.S\u003C\/strong\u003E. \u2014 which has already been pressuring Ortega officials through sanctions \u2014 and the new Honduran government, which shares some ideological ties to Ortega and may abstain from key votes against Nicaragua in international bodies as the past government did.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=1440&ImageHeight=380&ImageId=36990 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EPlus, offering haven to a fugitive wanted on international drug trafficking charges would \u201cclash with Ortega\u2019s rhetoric of being committed to doing what the country can to combat drug trafficking in the region,\u201d Breda said. (Drugs still pass through Nicaragua by land and sea, but as El Faro\u2019s \u00d3scar Mart\u00ednez wrote in a 2012 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/salanegra.elfaro.net\/es\/201202\/cronicas\/7706\/Narco-hecho-en-Centroam%C3%A9rica.htm\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Eprofile\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of a Nicaraguan drug trafficker, \u201cthe rule of discretion still carries weight.\u201d)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWhether weighing his support for Russia or whether to grant asylum to JOH, Ortega only has one criteria for judging his diplomatic relations, explained Breda: \u201cHow functional they can be for his political project.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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