The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
"Nicaragua's November 7 elections do not reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people.
"The regime robbed the citizens of Nicaragua of their right to vote in truly free and fair elections by manipulating the electoral process to cling to power, notably by arbitrarily arresting and detaining political opponents, repressing independent media and forcing civilians into exile.
"We reiterate our call on the regime of Daniel Ortega to fulfill its international obligations, release all political prisoners, end the repression of independent media, allow for the return of international human rights observers and establish a meaningful national dialogue.
"The Government of Canada previously implemented targeted sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act in response to the ongoing, gross and systematic violations of human rights in Nicaragua. We will continue to use all our diplomatic tools to hold this oppressive regime and its enablers to account.
"We stand with the people of Nicaragua in their aspirations for a more peaceful, just and democratic future that includes a fundamental respect for human rights and media freedom. We will work with democracies in the region and around the world, including at the Organization of the American States General Assembly on November 10-12 to urge the Ortega regime to change course and seek a peaceful and democratic resolution to the ongoing crisis."
