Since February 7, Nicaragua’s Embassy in Panama City has sheltered Ricardo Martinelli, Panama’s ex-president convicted of corruption.
This act by Daniel Ortega’s government has sparked diplomatic tensions with Panama, challenging the norms of political asylum.
Nicaragua granted Martinelli asylum, defying Panama’s stance that he is a criminal, not a refugee.
Panama’s refusal to allow safe passage for Martinelli to Nicaragua has intensified the dispute, highlighting the misuse of diplomatic premises for political maneuvering.
This scenario is part of a broader trend where Ortega’s regime provides refuge to individuals facing legal charges in their countries.
Notably, former Salvadoran Presidents Mauricio Funes and Salvador Sánchez Cerén, and associates of Honduras’ ex-president, found asylum in Nicaragua, escaping corruption charges.
Ortega’s government naturalizes 130 allies and fugitives, violating laws, while stripping nationality from 317 Nicaraguans, rendering them stateless.
This misuse of asylum erodes its integrity, offering protection to the corrupt and alienating true political refugees.
This practice undermines international asylum principles, shielding those accused of corruption and damaging the concept’s legitimacy.
It highlights a disturbing legacy of complicity with criminality and impunity within Ortega’s Nicaragua.