Title: A resolution reaffirming the commitment of the United States to hold the Ortega regime accountable for acts of violence and human rights abuses perpetrated against the Nicaraguan people.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Condemns the violence perpetrated against the citizens of Nicaragua by the Ortega regime and affiliated armed groups, and calls on the government of Nicaragua to enact constitutional and legal reforms to better protect its citizens.
Calls on the President to impose sanctions against any person responsible for gross violations of human rights or acts of significant corruption in Nicaragua.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 556 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 556

  Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to hold the Ortega 
    regime accountable for acts of violence and human rights abuses 
               perpetrated against the Nicaraguan people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 25, 2018

Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Perdue, 
Mr. Kaine, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Lee) submitted the following resolution; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to hold the Ortega 
    regime accountable for acts of violence and human rights abuses 
               perpetrated against the Nicaraguan people.

Whereas, on April 19, 2018, protests began in Managua, Nicaragua, as a result of 
        changes made to the social security system by the Ortega regime that 
        would have raised workers' contributions and cut retirees' pensions;
Whereas Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 
        Nicaragua as tied for 151 of 180, the third worst ranking for a country 
        in the Western Hemisphere, after Venezuela and Haiti;
Whereas numerous media outlets have reported on allegations regarding the 
        involvement of Nicaraguan government officials in corruption, including 
        misappropriating billions of dollars provided to Nicaragua by the 
        Government of Venezuela;
Whereas, on April 23, 2018, tens of thousands of people--workers, students, 
        farmers, and representatives of the private sectors--demonstrated in 
        Managua demanding an end to the repression, with some calling for the 
        departure of the President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega;
Whereas, on April 24, 2018, the United Nations called on the Government of 
        Nicaragua to carry out ``prompt, thorough, independent and transparent 
        investigations into these deaths,'' saying a number of the killings may 
        have been ``unlawful'';
Whereas, on May 13, 2018, the Catholic Church organized a national dialogue 
        between the protesters and the Government of Nicaragua;
Whereas, on May 17, 2018, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American 
        Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, Paulo 
        Abrao, arrived in Nicaragua to investigate the human rights violations 
        that took place during the recent protests;
Whereas, on May 21, 2018, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the 
        Organization of American States issued a statement that described the 
        excessive use of force by Nicaraguan security forces and armed irregular 
        groups that resulted in ``dozens of persons killed and hundreds wounded; 
        illegal and arbitrary detentions; practices of torture, cruel, inhuman 
        and degrading treatment; censorship and attacks on the press; and other 
        forms of intimidation'';
Whereas, on May 21, 2018, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the 
        Organization of American States ``emphatically condemn[ed] the deaths, 
        attacks and arbitrary detentions of students, demonstrators, journalists 
        and other citizens that have occurred in Nicaragua since the beginning 
        of the protests'';
Whereas, on May 23, 2018, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes declared that talks had been 
        suspended between the Ortega regime, the opposition, and civil society;
Whereas, on May 29, 2018, Amnesty International released a report entitled 
        ``Shoot to Kill: Nicaragua's Strategy to Repress Protest'', which 
        documented the lethal use of weapons, specifically noting that gunshots 
        fired by pro-government groups were aimed to kill and targeted specific 
        individuals;
Whereas, on May 30, 2018, a peaceful ``Mother's Day protest'' turned deadly, 
        with an estimated 16 people killed and 88 injured during clashes;
Whereas, on June 15, 2018, the National Dialogue resumed, resulting in a 
        ceasefire agreement;
Whereas, the next day, on June 16, 2018, armed irregular groups killed 6 members 
        of a family in an arson attack against their home and business;
Whereas, on June 18, 2018, the Department of State released a statement that 
        affirmed, ``The United States condemns the ongoing government-sponsored 
        violence and intimidation campaign in Nicaragua . . . We urge immediate 
        and full implementation of the June 15 National Dialogue agreement on 
        human rights.'';
Whereas the June 2018 statement released by the Department of State stated, ``We 
        note the widespread call among Nicaraguans for early elections. The 
        United States believes early elections represent a constructive way 
        forward.''; and
Whereas, as of June 18, 2018, there were at least 178 deaths and more than 1,000 
        people injured as a result of the protests, according to data from the 
        Centro Nicaraguense de Derechos Humanos (Nicaraguan Center for Human 
        Rights, or Cenidh): Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the violence perpetrated against the citizens 
        of Nicaragua by the Ortega regime and affiliated armed 
        irregular groups;
            (2) calls on the Government of Nicaragua to end the 
        repressive practices of its security forces and enact 
        constitutional and legal reforms to better protect its 
        citizens;
            (3) supports efforts by the Inter-American Commission on 
        Human Rights of the Organization of American States to conduct 
        a credible, independent investigation into the killing of at 
        least 178 protestors;
            (4) encourages the Government of Nicaragua to commit to 
        negotiations with representatives of the Catholic Church, civil 
        society, student movement, private sector, and political 
        opposition to bring about an end to the current political 
        crisis, which should include a commitment to hold early 
        elections that meet democratic standards and include 
        international observation;
            (5) urges the international community to denounce the human 
        rights abuses and violence perpetrated against the Nicaraguan 
        people by the Ortega regime; and
            (6) calls on the President of the United States to exercise 
        the authorities included in the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
        Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-
        328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) to impose sanctions with respect to 
        any person who--
                    (A) is responsible for extrajudicial killings, 
                torture, or other gross violations of human rights in 
                Nicaragua; or
                    (B) is responsible for or complicit in ordering, 
                controlling, or otherwise directing acts of significant 
                corruption in Nicaragua.
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