US sanctions Nicaraguan prison director for human rights abuses
Designation targets La Modelo director amid demands for release of all political prisoners
ISTANBUL
The US has sanctioned the director of Nicaragua's largest prison for his involvement in human rights violations against political detainees, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday.
Roberto Clemente Guevara Gomez, who heads the La Modelo maximum-security prison, was designated under Section 7031(c) of the 2024 State Department Appropriations Act, a measure that bars him and potentially his immediate family from entering the US.
Rubio said the move was aimed at holding the "Murillo-Ortega dictatorship" accountable for its treatment of political prisoners, adding that Washington continues to demand "the immediate, unconditional release of all unjustly detained political prisoners in Nicaragua."
La Modelo, located in Tipitapa, houses most of Nicaragua's political prisoners and features an isolated high-security wing known as "Galeria 300" for high-profile detainees.
The UN's Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua named Guevara Gomez among 54 officials responsible for crimes against humanity in April, linked to the crackdown that followed protests in 2018.
