Every member of the Organization of American States (OAS) has called on Nicaragua’s government to release political prisoners, restore civic freedoms, and reverse constitutional changes that indefinitely entrench the Ortega-Murillo leadership.
Addressing journalists during a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, from the Miami Media Hub, the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Juan Pablo Segura said the foreign ministers had spoken with one voice at a meeting held the same day.
“Nicaragua’s democracy, as we all know, is a fiction, as every member of the OAS just made clear,” Segura said.
He said the regime had rewritten the constitution last month to deprive Nicaraguans of free and fair elections and entrench what he described as an illegitimate dynasty.
Segura said co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo had violently suppressed peaceful protests since 2018, unjustly detained, tortured and killed opponents, persecuted Catholic clergy, and silenced independent media and civil society.
He added that the crisis also threatened hemispheric peace and security by facilitating illegal immigration and embracing non-hemispheric security services that support the repression.
Segura noted that Managua had rejected agrément for career diplomat Natasha Franceschi, who was nominated to represent the United States, after also rejecting a career ambassador nominated under the Biden administration.
“They do not want to dialogue,” he said, describing the refusal as evidence that the government believes it can act with impunity.
The resolution calls for the release of unjustly held prisoners, protection of religious freedom, the return of confiscated property, restoration of nationality to people arbitrarily stripped of citizenship, restoration of freedom of expression, and reversal of the constitutional changes to allow free and fair elections to take place.
Ministers also agreed to send a voluntary high-level group to Managua to present those demands directly to Ortega and Murillo and to reconvene in 90 days after the delegation returns, while keeping all options open.
Segura praised an update by Inter-American Commission on Human Rights commissioner Rosa María Payá, the rapporteur for Nicaragua.
He said Washington wants a democratic Nicaragua that cooperates on immigration, protects U.S. citizens and businesses, rejects adversarial alliances, and respects human rights and sound governance.
