US imposes sanctions on daughter of Nicaragua's president

The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on the daughter of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and a top army official

Nicaragua Opposition (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the daughter of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and a top army official Wednesday, a day after the arrests of two more potential opposition candidates for the presidency.

The U.S. said the sanctions are intended to force the Ortega regime to return to democratic procedures.

Ortega’s daughter, Camila Ortega Murillo, became the 31st official or relative of the Ortega regime to have their U.S. assets blocked since 2017. The sanctions also prohibit U.S. citizens from dealing with them.

Also sanctioned Wednesday were the leader of Ortega's Sandinista party in Congress the head of the country's central bank and a high-ranking army general.

Ortega arrested on Tuesday two more potential challengers in the Nov. 7 elections, bringing to four the number of opposition pre-candidates detained in a week. Ortega is seeking his fourth consecutive term.