Nicaragua frees hundreds of political prisoners, sends them to US

Nicaragua has freed more than 200 political prisoners from custody and sent them to the United States, a move Secretary of State Antony Blinken called “a constructive step” toward addressing human rights issues and improving the two nations’ relations. 

The 222 prisoners — among them journalists, students, civil society representatives and political leaders — were released from Nicaragua and arrived on Thursday at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, just outside Washington.

“Today, the United States welcomes 222 individuals who had been imprisoned by the Government of Nicaragua for exercising their fundamental freedoms and have endured lengthy unjust detentions,” Blinken said in a release. 

“The release of these individuals, one of whom is a U.S. citizen, by the Government of Nicaragua marks a constructive step towards addressing human rights abuses in the country and opens the door to further dialogue between the United States and Nicaragua regarding issues of concern.” 

The secretary said the arrival of the prisoners in the U.S. is “the product of concerted American diplomacy.” 

The U.S. government is providing the 222 individuals who flew into Dulles today with medical and legal support “to ease their arrival.”

The State Department hasn’t released further details about them, or about the exact circumstances that spurred their release from Nicaragua.