<p>As Nicaragua slips deeper into a state of despair, Democratic nations have struggled with how to handle the crisis. ;</p>
<p>Nicaragua&#8217;s reigning government has turned to violent tactics to keep citizens in line. In the last few months of political unrest, there have been at least 180 deaths in the country. ;</p>
<p>In the city of Masaya, the streets have been deserted and the police station remains the only government stronghold. Food and resources are now scarce.</p>
<p>In response to the dire situation that has been perpetuated by the government, the U.S. has slapped three Nicaraguan officials with sanctions. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;Today&#8217;s actions are in connection with the horrific activities that we&#8217;re seeing in Nicaragua. The United States is deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis in Nicaragua and the violence perpetrated by security forces against demonstrators,&#8221; said a senior administration official to reporters on a call. &#8220;The Nicaraguan government&#8217;s violent response has included beatings of journalists, attacks against local TV and radio stations, and assaults on mothers mourning the deaths of their children.&#8221; ;</p>
<p>Francisco Javier Diaz Madriz, a commissioner with Nicaragua&#8217;s National Police; Fidel Antonio Moreno Briones, who has directed violent acts by the Sandinista Youth and pro-government armed groups; and Jose Francisco Lopez Centeno, a governing party official and oil executive- all have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for their brutality. ;</p>
<p>The individuals will be barred from doing business transactions with U.S. citizens and their assets in the U.S. will be frozen. ;</p>
<p>The U.S. senior official also called out President Daniel Ortega for using force to maintain control in the country. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;President Ortega and his inner circle continue to curtail freedoms and enrich themselves, while ignoring the Nicaraguan people&#8217;s calls for the democratic reforms they demand, including free, fair and transparent elections,&#8221; said the administration official. &#8220;This situation is simply unacceptable.&#8221;</p>
<p>The protests started in April after Ortega decreased pension benefits. ;</p>
<p>As a Marxist&ndash;Leninist, Ortega has implemented controversial socialist policies like wealth redistribution and land reform.</p>
<p>Ironically, Ortega led a movement in the 1870&#8217;s against the former President/Dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle and later was elected president in 1984. ;</p>
<p>Now, Ortega is being compared to the socialist Nicolas Maduro, whose government is responsible for the dire situation in Venezuela. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think he probably is looking at the Maduro example and thinking to himself, &lsquo;This guy survived for years even though most of the people in his country are rebelling against him. I can do the same thing,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Stephen Kinzer, a senior fellow at Brown University&rsquo;s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs to <em>The Washington Times. ;</em></p>
<p>It appears as though Ortega will do whatever to remain in power. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the alternative for him? Don&rsquo;t forget that overall these tyrants like Ortega hangs the threat of accountability,&rdquo; said Kinzer. ; &ldquo;Once you&rsquo;re out, you no longer control the courts, you no longer control investigators or the police, [and] everything is going to come out.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Prior to the U.S. imposed sanctions, multiple human rights groups took a stand against the violence by Nicaraguan government officials and police.</p>
<p>&ldquo;As the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights presents its findings in Washington, policemen and pro-government armed gangs are killing protesters with total impunity in the streets of Nicaragua,&rdquo; said José; Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. &ldquo;Democratic leaders in the Americas should urgently call on President Ortega to end the bloodbath in the country and dismantle pro-government gangs.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The Organization of American States (OAS) has called on Ortega to halt the abuses on his citizens and has condemned the&ldquo;acts of violence, intimidation, and threats directed against the general public&rdquo; in Nicaragua. ;</p>
<p>In a recent report by the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR,) the findings reveal that the Nicaragua government used multiple violent tactics which were ; &#8220;aimed at deterring participation in the demonstrations and putting down this expression of political dissent.&#8221; ;</p>
<p>Some of these brutal tactics included &#8220;excessive and arbitrary use of police force&#8221; and setting up obstacles to detour those partcipating in demonstrations from getting emergency medical attention. ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&#8217;s note:</strong> The sanctions are a step in the right direction. The government and its officials need to lose resources to lose power. But things in Nicaragua will only get worse before it gets better. It&#8217;s not quite as bad as Venezuela yet, but it looks like the country could get there sooner than later.</p>