Nicaragua Strips 135 Expelled Prisoners of Nationality and Seizes Their Property, Reports Reuters

Nicaragua’s government announced on Tuesday that it has revoked the nationality of 135 individuals who were recently released from prison and deported to Guatemala, along with orders for the confiscation of their property.

The country’s Supreme Court stated that these individuals had been convicted of offenses related to undermining the “sovereignty, independence, and self-determination of the Nicaraguan people.” The court characterized the confiscation of their assets as a means to compensate for the harm caused by their “criminal activities.”

Among those released were 13 members of the Mountain Gateway missionary organization based in Texas, as well as various Catholic laypeople and students, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The White House had previously requested the release of these prisoners on humanitarian grounds and confirmed that the U.S. did not offer any concessions to Nicaragua in exchange for their release.

Nicaragua’s most recent large-scale release of political prisoners occurred in February of the previous year when 222 prisoners, including prominent government critics, were sent to the United States and had their nationality stripped away.