The United Nations, the Organization of American States and human rights groups have documented the Ortega-Murillo regime's violations of Nicaraguans' human rights and their democratic right to self-determination. File Photo by Christobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA
July 3 (UPI) -- On June 30, I took part in a meeting of Nicaraguan democratic opposition leaders hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
The struggles of the Nicaraguan people are personal to me. I was expelled from Nicaragua in 2016 by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship while on a research trip in the country. I have also worked with Venezuela's democratic opposition in its struggle against Chavista rule. That experience leaves me skeptical about the short-term prospects for restoring democracy in either country.
A record of repression and strategic risk
The opposition's case is both morally and strategically compelling. The United Nations, the Organization of American States and human rights groups have documented the Ortega-Murillo regime's violations of Nicaraguans' human rights and their democratic right to self-determination.
