US calls Nicaragua's decision to leave Organization of American States a 'step away from democracy'

Source: Associated Press

US calls Nicaragua’s decision to leave Organization of American States a ‘step away from democracy’

Updated 1:59 PM EST, November 19, 2023

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department called Nicaragua’s formal withdrawal from the Organization of American States on Sunday “another step away from democracy.”

The regional body, known by its initials OAS, has long criticized rights violations under Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Ortega, who governs alongside his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, has rejected those criticisms and started the two-year process to leave the OAS in November 2021.

“The Ortega/Murillo regime’s withdrawal from the OAS is another step away from democracy and further isolates Nicaragua from the international community,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

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The OAS has said it will continue closely monitoring Nicaragua’s democracy and human rights record even after the country’s exit from the group, which it has belonged to since 1950.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/nicaragua-organization-of-american-states-ac9df8e440c5196e4b282e892dbb8f53