H. Res. 981 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 25, 2018. 

Whereas Daniel Ortega has taken systematic steps to weaken 

democratic institutions in Nicaragua since 2006, including by manipulating the Nicaraguan Constitution 

through actions such as eliminating presidential term 

limits; 

Whereas Daniel Ortega selected his wife, Rosario Murillo, as 

his vice-presidential candidate in 2016; 

Whereas domestic and international observers have repeatedly 

documented and criticized irregularities in the 2011 and 

2016 presidential elections as well as the 2012 and 2017 

municipal elections in Nicaragua; 

Whereas, on April 18, 2018, students in Nicaragua began to 

protest the unilateral decision of the Government of Nicaragua to impose reforms on the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute; 

Whereas the protests were met with a violent and brutal response from the Nicaraguan National Police, subsequently resulting in a widespread call by the Nicaraguan 

people for freedom, democracy, electoral reforms, and respect for human rights; 

Whereas since April 18, 2018, the Nicaraguan government, 

the Nicaraguan National Police, or militias controlled by 
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the Nicaraguan government have been responsible for escalating violence, committing murders, and many cases of 

torture and disappearances; 

Whereas to block the dissemination of reports of violence and 

repression committed against peaceful protesters, the 

Nicaraguan government shut down the signal of media 

stations throughout Nicaragua; 

Whereas according to press reports, the Nicaraguan government has denied basic medical care to and attempted to 

poison the food and water of those protesting oppression 

under the Ortega administration; 

Whereas, on the night of April 20, 2018, a pro-government 

mob set fire to the offices of independent radio station 

Radio Darı ́o in the city of Leo ́n; 

Whereas, on April 20, 2018, Ambassador Michael Kozak, the 

Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the Department of State, said, ‘‘Nicaragua is going in the 

wrong direction on many fronts and that is one of them, 

of media freedom. But also on all the basics, I mean, it’s 

a long litany of torture, extrajudicial killing, the elections 

were a sham . . . the Ortega government has basically 

shut down a lot of the opposition, a lot of the independent civil society organizations as well as the free 

media’’; 

Whereas, on April 21, 2018, Nicaraguan journalist A ́ngel 

Gahona was shot and killed by pro-government security 

forces while broadcasting live on Facebook; 

Whereas, on April 21, 2018, the Department of State issued 

a travel advisory for Nicaragua and since then has con-
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tinued to advise travelers to reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to ongoing violence; 

Whereas, on April 22, 2018, the Department of State issued 

a statement that ‘‘we condemn the violence and the excessive force used by police and others against civilians 

who are exercising their constitutional right to freedom 

of expression and assembly’’; 

Whereas, on April 23, 2018, the Department of State ordered 

the departure of family members accompanying United 

States Government personnel in Nicaragua and also authorized the departure of such personnel; 

Whereas, on Mother’s Day in Nicaragua, May 31, 2018, 

press reports stated that peaceful marches to support the 

mothers of the victims of the earlier protests encountered 

violence from ‘‘the repressive police and shock forces’’, 

leaving 15 dead and nearly 200 injured in the cities of 

Managua, Estelı ́ and Masaya; 

Whereas, on May 31, 2018, the Department of State issued 

a statement saying that ‘‘those individuals responsible for 

human rights violations will be held accountable by the 

international community in international fora’’ in response to the violence during the Mother’s Day protests; 

Whereas, on June 4, 2018, Secretary Pompeo, participating 

in the Organization of American States General Assembly 

in the District of Columbia, stated, ‘‘In Nicaragua police 

and government-controlled armed groups have killed dozens, merely for peacefully protesting’’; 

Whereas, on June 7, 2018, the Department of State announced visa restrictions against individuals involved in 

human rights abuses or undermining democracy in Nicaragua; 
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Whereas, on June 20, 2018, the Department of State announced, ‘‘The United States condemns the ongoing government-sponsored violence and intimidation campaign in 

Nicaragua, including the June 16 arson attack against 

the home and business of a family in Managua, killing 

six, and the further intimidation of the family during the 

wake’’; 

Whereas a report from the Asociacio ́n Nicaragu ̈ense Pro 

Derechos Humanos (Nicaraguan Association for Human 

Rights) states that as of June 25, 2018, at least 285 

people have been killed, over 1,500 people have been injured, and 156 people continue to be disappeared; 

Whereas the Catholic Church has played an important role 

serving as a mediator between protesters and the Government of Nicaragua, and Catholic bishops and priests have 

risked their lives trying to prevent more massacres; and 

Whereas the United States House of Representatives has 

sought to reestablish democracy and the rule of law in 

Nicaragua by passing H.R. 1918, the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act, on October 3, 2017, by unanimous consent: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) condemns the violence, persecution, intimidation, and murders of peaceful protesters by the Government of Nicaragua; 

(2) supports the people of Nicaragua in their pursuit for democracy, including their call for free and fair 

elections overseen by credible domestic and international 

observers; 
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(3) urges the international community to stand in 

solidarity with the people of Nicaragua; 

(4) calls on the United States to continue to condemn the atrocities in Nicaragua, demand the release of 

individuals wrongfully detained, and identify those individuals whose involvement in this violence qualifies for 

the imposition of sanctions under the Global Magnitsky 

Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII 

of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2016; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note); and 

(5) affirms that— 

(A) the rights to freedom of assembly, association, and expression, the freedom of the press, and 

freedom from extrajudicial detention and violence, 

are universal human rights that apply to all persons; and 

(B) countries that fail to respect these rights 

jeopardize the security and prosperity of all of their 

citizens. 

Attest: 

Clerk.