Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1720

Contents

	Name	Identifying information	Reasons	Date of listing
1.	Ramón Antonio AVELLÁN MEDAL	Date of birth: 11 November 1954Place of birth: Jinotepe, NicaraguaPassport number: A0008696Issued: 17 October 2011Expires: 17 October 2021Gender: male	Deputy Director-General of the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) and former chief of the police in Masaya. Responsible for serious human rights violations and for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Nicaragua, including by coordinating the repression of protesters in Masaya in 2018.	4.5.2020
2.	Sonia CASTRO GONZÁLEZ	Date of birth: 29 September 1967Place of birth: Carazo, NicaraguaPassport number: A00001526Issued: 19 November 2019Expires: 19 November 2028ID number: 0422909670000NGender: female	Special advisor to the President of Nicaragua on health issues and former Minister of Health. Responsible for serious human rights violations and for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Nicaragua, including by hindering access to emergency medical assistance for injured civilians involved in demonstrations and ordering hospital staff to report demonstrators who have been brought to hospital by the police.	4.5.2020
3.	Francisco Javier DÍAZ MADRIZ	Date of birth: 3 August 1961Gender: male	General Director of the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) since 23 August 2018 and former Deputy General Director of NNP. Responsible for serious human rights violations and for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Nicaragua, including by leading police forces committing violence against civilians, including excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and detentions and torture. In 2021, he carried out the investigations to set up cases against the opposition leaders arrested before the elections.	4.5.2020
4.	Néstor MONCADA LAU	Date of birth: 2.3.1954Gender: male	Personal advisor to the President of Nicaragua on national security matters until 2025. In this capacity, he has been from April 2018 onwards directly involved in and responsible for decision-making on national security matters and the establishment of repressive policies carried out by the State of Nicaragua against people taking part in demonstrations, opposition representatives and journalists in Nicaragua.	4.5.2020
5.	Luís PÉREZ OLIVAS	Date of birth: 8.1.1956Gender: male	Head of District Three Police Station in Managua since 2023. Former General Commissioner and Legal Assistance Main Officer (DAEJ) in the ‘El Chipote’ penitentiary centre. Responsible for serious human rights violations, including torture, use of extensive force, mistreatment of detainees and other forms of degrading treatment.	4.5.2020
6.	Justo PASTOR URBINA	Date of birth: 29 January 1956Gender: male	Head of Police Special Operations Unit (DOEP). He has been directly involved in the implementation of repressive policies against demonstrators and the opposition in Nicaragua, particularly in Managua. In this context, he is responsible for serious human rights violations and for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Nicaragua.	4.5.2020
7.	Rosario María MURILLO ZAMBRANAAlias: Rosario María MURILLO DE ORTEGA	Position(s): Co-President of the Republic of Nicaragua (since February 2025, previously Vice President, since 2017). Wife of President Daniel OrtegaDate of birth: 22 June 1951Place of birth: Managua, NicaraguaGender: femaleNationality: NicaraguanPassport number: A00000106 (Nicaragua)	Co-President of Nicaragua since February 2025, First Lady of Nicaragua and a leader of the Sandinista Youth. Vice President of Nicaragua from January 2017 to February 2025. She played an instrumental role in encouraging and justifying the repression of opposition demonstrations by the Nicaraguan National Police in 2018. In June 2021, she publicly threatened the Nicaraguan opposition and discredited independent journalists. Those threats have been repeated since then. In February 2023, Daniel Ortega revealed that Rosario María Murillo Zambrana is the instigator of new repressions, namely related to the expulsion and deprivation of citizenship of 222 political prisoners.She is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations, for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for undermining democracy in Nicaragua.	2.8.2021
8.	Gustavo Eduardo PORRAS CORTÉS	Position(s): President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Nicaragua (since January 2017)Date of birth: 11 October 1954Place of birth: Managua, NicaraguaGender: maleNationality: Nicaraguan	President of the National Assembly of Nicaragua since January 2017 and member of the national direction of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) since 1996.In his position as the President of the National Assembly of Nicaragua, he is responsible for promoting the adoption of several repressive legal acts, among them an amnesty law that precludes any investigation into the perpetrators of massive human rights violations in 2018, laws undermining freedom and democratic process in Nicaragua, and laws depriving the civil rights of civilians, including the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando José Álvarez Lagos.He is therefore responsible for the repression of civil society, democratic opposition, representatives of the Church, as well as for seriously undermining democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua.	2.8.2021
9.	Juan Antonio VALLE VALLE	Position(s): Leader in Nicaraguan National PoliceRank: General/Senior CommissionerDate of birth: 4 May 1963Place of birth: Matagalpa, NicaraguaGender: maleNationality: Nicaraguan	As leader in the rank of senior commissioner (second highest rank) of the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) and until February 2025 in a leading position in the police in Managua, Juan Antonio Valle Valle is responsible for repeated acts of police brutality and the excessive use of force which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, for arbitrary arrests and detentions, for violations of freedom of expression and for preventing demonstrations against the government.He is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations and for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Nicaragua.	2.8.2021
10.	Ana Julia GUIDO OCHOAAlias: Ana Julia GUIDO DE ROMERO	Position(s): Attorney General of the Republic of NicaraguaDate of birth: 16 February 1959Place of birth: Matagalpa, NicaraguaGender: femaleNationality: Nicaraguan	In her position as Attorney General, the highest civil servant in the Prosecutor’s Office, Ana Julia Guido Ochoa, who is loyal to the Ortega regime, is responsible for the politically motivated prosecution of numerous protesters and members of the political opposition. She created a specialised unit that fabricated allegations against protesters and brought charges against them. She is moreover responsible for the disqualification from public office of the main opposition candidate for the general elections.She is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations, for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua.	2.8.2021
11.	Fidel de Jesús DOMÍNGUEZ ÁLVAREZ	Position(s): Chief of police in Leon, General Commissioner of the National PoliceDate of birth: 21 March 1960Gender: maleNationality: Nicaraguan	In his position as Chief of police in Leon since 23 August 2018 and then General Commissioner of the National Police since September 2020, Fidel de Jesús Domínguez Alvarez is responsible for numerous serious violations of human rights, in particular arbitrary arrests and detention including the kidnapping of members of a political opponent’s family, death threats, the excessive use of force and violations of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. He is considered as one of the main figures of repression against the democratic opposition in the region of Leon.He is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations and the repression of civil society and democratic opposition.	2.8.2021
12.	Alba Luz RAMOSVANEGAS	Date of birth: 3.6.1949Gender: femaleNationality: NicaraguanPassport number: A0009864 (Nicaragua)	Former President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Nicaragua. Responsible for instrumentalisation of the judiciary in favour of the interests of the Ortega regime, through the selective criminalisation of opposition activities, perpetuating the pattern of violations of rights of due process, arbitrary arrests, and the disqualification of political parties and opposition candidates.She is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations, for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for seriously undermining the rule of law in Nicaragua	2.8.2021
13.	Juan Carlos ORTEGA MURILLO	Position(s): Director at Canal 8 and Difuso Comunicaciones. Leader of the 4th of May Sandinista Movement, Son of the President and Vice President of the Republic of NicaraguaDate of birth: 17 October 1982Nationality: Nicaraguan	Son of president Daniel Ortega and the First Lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo. Director of one of the main propaganda TV stations, Canal 8, and the leader of the 4th of May Sandinista Movement. In his position, he has contributed to restricting freedom of expression and freedom of the media. He has publicly threatened Nicaraguan businesspersons who oppose the Ortega regime. He is therefore responsible for undermining democracy and the repression of civil society in Nicaragua. Because he is the son of Vice President Rosario Murillo, he is associated with persons responsible for serious human rights violations and the repression of civil society in Nicaragua.	2.8.2021
14.	Bayardo ARCE CASTAÑO	Position(s): Economic Advisor to the President of the Republic of NicaraguaDate of birth: 21 March 1950Gender: maleNationality: Nicaraguan	In his position as Economic Advisor to President Daniel Ortega, Bayardo Arce Castano holds significant influence over the policies of the Ortega regime. He is therefore associated with persons responsible for serious violations of human rights in Nicaragua.He supported the development of legislation preventing opposition candidates from taking part in elections. He is therefore responsible for repression against civil society and democratic opposition in Nicaragua.	2.8.2021
15.	Camila Antonia ORTEGA MURILLO	Position: Daughter of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Advisor to the Presidency, Coordinator of the Creative Economy Commission, Director of TV station Canal 13Date of birth: 4.11.1987Place of birth: Managua, NicaraguaGender: femaleNationality: NicaraguanPassport number: A00000114 (Nicaragua)ID number: 0010411870001B	Camila Antonia Ortega Murillo is closely involved in actions supporting the presidential couple Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, as an advisor to the Presidency, personal assistant to the Vice-President and Coordinator of the Creative Economy National Commission. She is also the Director of the platform Nicaragua Diseña and TV station Canal 13.She is responsible for using Nicaragua Diseña to support the fraudulent presidential and parliamentary elections, which took place on 7 November 2021, by creating fake accounts on different social media platforms.As the Director of Canal 13, she has contributed to disseminating the Ortega regime’s hate speech against the civic opposition, while restricting editorial plurality and persecuting independent journalists and media outlets in Nicaragua, eliminating freedom of expression and actual electoral competition. She has played a central role in the suppression of political pluralism and the definitive disarticulation of Nicaraguan democracy.She is therefore associated with persons responsible for undermining democracy and for serious human rights violations and she is supporting such repression and violations.	10.1.2022
16.	Laureano Facundo ORTEGA MURILLO	Son of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Advisor to the PresidencyDate of birth: 20.11.1982Place of birth: Managua, NicaraguaGender: maleNationality: NicaraguanPassport number: A00000684 (Nicaragua)ID number: 0012011820046M	Laureano Facundo Ortega Murillo is closely involved in actions supporting the presidential couple Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, as an advisor to the Presidency. He has justified and supported the arbitrary and illegal imprisonment of Nicaraguan political opposition leaders and presidential pre-candidates, student and rural leaders or independent journalists, all of whom he has referred to as ‘terrorists’. By contributing to the elimination of actual electoral competition, he has played a central role in the suppression of political pluralism and the definitive disarticulation of Nicaraguan democracy.He has acted as an economic advisor to his father Daniel Ortega and the Ortega regime through the governmental agency ProNicaragua. Additionally, he is responsible for operating BanCorp – an entity whose main purpose is to assist, sponsor and financially support the repressive activities of his mother, Vice-President Rosario Murillo.He is therefore associated with persons responsible for the repression of civil society and for serious human rights violations, and he is supporting such repression and violations.	10.1.2022
17.	Brenda Isabel ROCHA CHACÓN	Position(s): President of the Supreme Electoral CouncilDate of birth: 10.2.1967Place of birth: Bonanza, NicaraguaGender: femaleNationality: Nicaraguan	Brenda Isabel Rocha Chacón has been since May 2021 President of the Supreme Electoral Council (SEC) – a body responsible for the preparation, holding and certification of the general elections of 7 November 2021 and local elections of 6 November 2022, which, by their lack of transparency, true opposition and democratic debate, undermined democratic institutions and processes. The SEC deprived the opposition of the opportunity to stand for free elections and ensured the organisation of polls in non-democratic conditions.She is therefore responsible for the repression of democratic opposition and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua.	10.1.2022
18.	Cairo Melvin AMADOR ARRIETA	Position(s): Vice-President of the Supreme Electoral CouncilDate of birth: 1952Gender: maleNationality: Nicaraguan	Cairo Melvin Amador Arrieta has been since May 2021 the Vice-President of the Supreme Electoral Council (SEC) – a body responsible for the preparation, holding and certification of the general elections of 7 November 2021 and local elections of 6 November 2022, which, by their lack of transparency, true opposition and democratic debate, undermined democratic institutions and processes. The SEC deprived the opposition of the opportunity to stand for free elections and ensured the organisation of polls in non-democratic conditions.He is therefore responsible for the repression of democratic opposition and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua.	10.1.2022
19.	Lumberto Ignacio CAMPBELL HOOKER	Position(s): Member of the Supreme Electoral Council, acting President of the Supreme Electoral Council in 2018Date of birth: 3.12.1949Place of birth: Raas, NicaraguaGender: maleNationality: NicaraguanPassport number: A00001109 (Nicaragua)ID number: 6010302490003J	Lumberto Ignacio Campbell Hooker has been since 2014 a member of the Supreme Electoral Council (SEC) – a body responsible for the preparation, holding and certification of the general elections of 7 November 2021 and local elections of 6 November 2022, which, by their lack of transparency, true opposition and democratic debate, undermined democratic institutions and processes. The SEC deprived the opposition of the opportunity to stand for free elections and ensured the organisation of polls in non-democratic conditions. His mandate as member of the SEC was renewed by the General Assembly in May 2021.He spoke to the media during the general elections of 7 November 2021 and local elections of 6 November 2022, justifying and praising their organisation.He is therefore responsible for the repression of democratic opposition and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua.	10.1.2022
20.	Nahima Janett DÍAZ FLORES	Director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services, daughter of the General Director of the Nicaraguan National Police Francisco Javier Díaz MadrizDate of birth: 28.6.1989Gender: femaleNationality: Nicaraguan	Nahima Janett Díaz Flores is the Director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (TELCOR), the regulatory entity for telecommunications and postal services. TELCOR has been used by the Nicaraguan authorities to silence independent media, including three news organisations since 2018. During the 2021 general elections campaign, TELCOR was implementing disinformation campaigns on a large scale. As the institution in charge of the implementation of the ‘cybersecurity law’, TELCOR has been commanding and operating surveillance actions regarding civil society and democratic opposition.In her position, Nahima Díaz Flores has acted as a supporter of the Ortega regime, and has commanded and operated actions of disinformation and surveillance through TELCOR of civil society and democratic opposition. She is therefore responsible for serious violations of human rights, repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and undermining democracy in Nicaragua.	10.1.2022
21.	Luis Ángel MONTENEGRO ESPINOZA	Superintendent of the Superintendency of Banks and other Financial Institutions of NicaraguaDate of birth: 1.1.1949Place of birth: Esteli, NicaraguaGender: maleAddress: Planes De Puntaldia Casa #16, Managua, NicaraguaNationality: NicaraguanID number: 1610101490000S	Luis Ángel Montenegro Espinoza is the Superintendent of the Superintendency of Banks and other Financial Institutions of Nicaragua (SIBOIF). In that position he is responsible for the persecution of financial actors that resisted the Ortega regime’s policies, as well as for enforcing the regime’s control over the financial sector.He was appointed to that position directly by Daniel Ortega, as a reward for his loyalty. In his previous role as Controller General of the Republic he ensured that Ortega’s corrupt financial activities would not be audited and equally contributed to Ortega’s control of the regime.He is therefore responsible for undermining the rule of law in Nicaragua as well as for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition.	10.1.2022

Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1720

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