Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega lashed out at his counterparts in Colombia (Gustavo Petro) and Chile (Gabriel Boric), after they criticized him for the repression and persecution committed by his regime against opponents.
Ortega has become increasingly isolated in the global political sphere, which was demonstrated when two leftist heads of state from Latin America criticized the Nicaraguan regime and its methods of governing.
However, Ortega did not remain silent in the face of criticism from Petro and Boric and, in a speech for the anniversary of the Nicaraguan Police, responded to his peers.
"There are those who stand firm throughout history ... others walk one day, and when conditions are adverse, then cowardice makes them retreat, cowardice makes them become agents of the Yankee empire and causes them to betray," he said before starting to talk about the Colombian president.
"Petro has become president of Colombia, a state at the service of the Yankees, a state that is full of military bases for the Yankee empire, and Petro said he was anti-imperialist when he was fighting with the guerrillas."
Soon after, the Nicaraguan dictator also began to criticize the Chilean president, accusing him of coming to power with the support of the left and then abandoning his promises.
"Chile is not a democracy, Chile is still chained to the laws that Pinochet left behind, and it is still chained to imperialism," he said just before describing Boric as "Pinochetito" ("little Pinochet"), alluding to former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
Colombia expressed solidarity with exiled Nicaraguan
Ortega's comments against Petro came a few hours after the Colombian president used social media to express solidarity with exiled Nicaraguan poet Gioconda Belli.
"All my solidarity for Gioconda Belli, poet of the Nicaraguan resistance against Somoza, now persecuted by Ortega," the Colombian president said on X, formerly Twitter. "What a paradox! Here, in Chile, I tour the homes of Chilean poets whose homes were raided and murdered by the dictatorship, and Ortega does the same as Pinochet," he continued.
Toda mi solidaridad para Gioconda Belli, poeta de la resistencia nicaragüense contra Somoza, ahora perseguida por Ortega. !Qué paradoja! aquí, en Chile, recorro casas de poetas chilenos a quienes la dictadura allanaba sus casas y asesinaba y Ortega hace lo mismo que Pinochet. https://t.co/vHM2QxrHG6
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) September 12, 2023
Boric called Ortega a dictator
The Chilean president not only called Ortega a dictator after the Nicaraguan regime stripped hundreds of political opponents of their nationality, but also helped many of them by offering them Chilean nationality. In fact, Gioconda Belli was one of those who accepted Boric's offer.
