Nicaragua expels European Union ambassador from the country

The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has ordered this Wednesday the expulsion from the country of the ambassador of the European Union, Bettina Muscheidt, after last week the EU delegation to the United Nations demanded the release of political prisoners and the return of democracy to the Nicaraguan people.

In addition to her expulsion, Muscheidt has been declared persona non grata in Nicaragua, a European diplomatic source told the newspaper ‘La Prensa’.

“The European Union calls on the Nicaraguan authorities to respect their own commitments, the Nicaraguan Constitution and international human rights norms and laws,” the Union delegation said last week at the UN General Assembly.

“The Nicaraguan authorities must put an end to repression, including repression against political opponents, the clergy, independent media, civil society and the
human rights defenders,” he stressed, according to the newspaper.

Bettina Muscheidt took up her post in September 2021 before serving as head of the European Union Delegation to Yemen and Libya.