Nicaragua’s ruling family reaches out to U.S. to ease sanctions

The son of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Laureano, reached out quietly to the U.S. government to re-engage in talks with the Biden administration, reported Reuters.

Laureano’s move comes as several members of the Central American country’s ruling family face U.S. sanctions due to Ortega’s human rights violations and support of Russia.

According to people familiar with the matter in Washington D.C., the Nicaraguan government is interested in rekindling high-level dialogues with the U.S. after years of being at odds.

The relationship between the two countries deteriorated even further after Ortega, a former Marxist guerilla member, won the November 2021 presidential elections by jailing other presidential candidates and 40 other opposition members, as well as cracking down on the press. The results of the elections gave Ortega the presidency for the fourth time.

The U.S., along with other government and human rights organizations around the world, have called the elections a sham. After the elections, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions against the Nicaraguan government and its supporters for its “undemocratic acts.”

Laureano, 40, is an influential figure in the Nicaraguan government and an investment advisor to his father. He was sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2019 over “corrupt business deals.”

According to the sources, he is seeking to talk to the U.S. to relieve some of the sanctions imposed against the country and might be willing to release political prisoners in exchange, a priority for the Biden administration.

In March, a U.S. State Department official was sent to Managua to meet with Laureano. However, the meeting never took place after the Ortega’s allegedly backed away from the meeting.