Twenty-one Latin American former presidents signed a statement labeling Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua as “criminal states” for “sowing terror and misery to their people.” The signing took place within the framework of a meeting between the members of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (Idea).
Costa Rican former presidents Óscar Arias, Rafael Ángel Calderón, Laura Chinchilla, and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez signed the statement, as well as Vicente Fox from Mexico, Fernando de la Rúa from Argetina, Andrés Pastrana and Álvaro Uribe from Colombia, and José María Aznar from Spain, among others.
In the document issued October 23rd, former heads of state
express their rejection of the criminal states established in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, which sow terror and misery to their people, persecute, torture, and even kill their dissidents as a policy.”
In Nicaragua, for example, human rights associations report close to 500 deaths since the protests against Ortega began on April 18th. Since then, it is estimated that every six hours one person dies as part of the protests.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) had indicated that the majority of people died due to state action or to the hands of the paramilitaries, who are also related to Ortega.
The former presidents also invited political parties and international organizations to safeguard the founding and irrevocable principles of democratic culture.
According to the politicians,
democracy has universally known basic characteristics that go beyond specificities, including free elections with fair rules of the game, where human rights, political liberties, rights to associate, demonstrate and freely express thoughts are respected, as well as the separation and independence of public powers.”