Designation of Nicaraguan Vice Minister of the Interior for Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights

PRESS STATEMENT

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE

APRIL 18, 2026

Nearly eight years ago, the Rosario Murillo and Daniel Ortega dictatorship unleashed a brutal wave of repression against Nicaraguans who courageously stood against the regime’s increased tyranny, corruption, and abuse.  Today, to mark the anniversary of the April 2018 protests, and remember the more than 325 protesters murdered in the aftermath, the Trump Administration is designating Vice Minister of the Interior, Luis Roberto Cañas Novoa, under Section 7031(c) for his involvement in gross violations of human rights.

This public designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026 (Div. F, P.L. 119-75).