Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act of 2023
A BILL
To reauthorize and amend the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2018 and the Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act of 2021, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act:
Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Banking of the Senate; and
the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.
United states person— The term United States person means—
an individual who is a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; and
any corporation, partnership, or other entity organized under the laws of the United States or the laws of any jurisdiction within the United States.
Sec. 3 Findings
Congress makes the following findings:
The 2022 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom made the following recommendations to the United States Government:
Maintain Nicaragua on the special watch list of the Department of State under section 402(b)(1)(A)(iii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(iii)) for engaging in or tolerating serious violations of religious freedom.
Impose targeted sanctions with respect to agencies and officials of the Government of Nicaragua responsible for violence and other punitive actions against places of worship, religious leaders, and organizations by freezing the assets of and barring the entry of certain persons into the United States, citing specific violations of religious freedom.
Collaborate with and encourage multilateral organizations, such as the Organization of American States—
to monitor and investigate violations of religious freedom that occur in Nicaragua;
to work to identify perpetrators of religious freedom violations in Nicaragua; and
to seek the repeal of problematic laws such as the foreign agents law passed in Nicaragua in 2020.
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua suffered—
127 attacks in 2022;
54 attacks in 2021;
58 attacks in 2020;
76 attacks in 2019; and
81 attacks in 2018.
In a 2022 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Nicaragua was listed as an authoritarian regime and one of the least democratic countries in the Western Hemisphere, along with Cuba and Venezuela.
According to the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the Department of State, members of civil society and student leaders involved in the April 2018 protests in Nicaragua were subjected to torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
According to human rights organizations, the Ortega regime has 150 political prisoners, including prisoners in solitary confinement.
In 2022, the Ortega regime rejected a United States envoy, declared the head of the European Union persona non grata, and closed the Vatican embassy in Managua.
On February 9, 2023, the authoritarian Ortega regime—
expelled 222 Nicaraguan nationals who had been unjustly imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights; and
stripped those nationals of Nicaraguan citizenship.
The invasion of Ukraine by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin poses a significant threat to global peace and stability in the Western Hemisphere.
The authoritarian regime of President Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua is providing diplomatic support to the Russian Federation and serving as an amplifier and repeater of Russian propaganda on a global scale.
The actions of the Government of Nicaragua are impeding development of a global consensus to reject and respond to crimes against humanity conducted by President Putin.
The Ortega regime has deepened the relationship between the Government of Nicaragua and the Government of the Russian Federation and is establishing diplomatic relations with the Government of the People Republic of China.
Sec. 4 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
the Secretary of State, working through the head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, and in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, should engage in diplomatic efforts with partners of the United States, including the Government of Canada, governments of countries in the European Union, and governments of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, to impose targeted sanctions with respect to the persons subject to sanctions authorized by the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2018 and the Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act of 2021 in order to hold the authoritarian regime of President Daniel Ortega accountable for crimes against the Catholic Church, the clergy, and the people of Nicaragua;
the United States Government should continue—
to raise concerns about human rights and democracy in Nicaragua, and call attention to religious and opposition leaders and civil society, media, and faith-based organizations silenced by the Ortega regime; and
to enforce Executive Order 13851 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property of certain persons contributing to the situation in Nicaragua), and expand existing sanctions to other sectors of the economy of Nicaragua, such as the meat sector; and
the international community, including the Holy See, the International Red Cross, and the United Nations should coordinate efforts—
to improve the conditions of all political prisoners in Nicaragua;
to document all gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in Nicaragua; and
to call for the end of political persecution against members of religious organizations, including the Catholic Church.