Three days ago, the Nicaraguan writer Sergio Ramírez, who is part of the 94 opponents stripped of their nationality By decision of President Daniel Ortega, he told the media that this act was “illegal”, but that he still felt “proud” of his Spanish nationality. In addition to the European one, after accepting Colombia’s offer in the middle of the week, on Friday he also accepted Ecuadorian nationality.
The news was confirmed through a statement from the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, who assured that the Nicaraguan “is a distinguished writer, as well as a man who has shown with his life that the fight for democracy and human rights is inherent to our destiny in Latin America”.
“Ecuador thus recognizes its fight for freedom, which is the fight of every Latin American who loves his people,” the president said in a statement.
The Ecuadorian Ministry of Communication pointed out that “the ceremony of delivery of nationality will take place on a date close to being agreed.”
On Wednesday, during his visit to Spain, the Colombian Foreign Minister, Álvaro Leyva, he pointed that, after offering “Colombian nationality to the Nicaraguan politician, intellectual and writer Sergio Ramírez”, in front of the writer’s wife, Gertrudis Guerrero Mayorga; the former president of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Juan Manuel Santos and the former president of Spain, Felipe González, the Nicaraguan “accepted gratefully” and “excited”.
“Free and democratic Colombia embraces you and welcomes you to your second homeland,” he added.
Ramírez reposted both the Ecuadorian statement on Friday and the Colombian minister’s announcement on Wednesday in his personal account.
The press office of the Colombian Foreign Ministry confirmed to the voice of america that this country “accepts the multiple nationalities of a person”, and that the novelist accepted Leyva’s offer “in a very kind way”, but that they are unaware of the nationality conditions of other countries or “how many more” the writer will accept.
after the massive stripping of the Nicaraguan nationality of various opponents government, some Latin American countries and Spain have offered to help the dissidents. On Thursday, the writer Gioconda Belli confirmed that accepted the offer to become a Chilean citizen.
For his part, Ramírez, an 80-year-old novelist, winner of the Alfaguara and Cervantes literary prizes, was vice president of Nicaragua during the first term of Daniel Ortega (1985-1990). Criminally accused and with an arrest warrant from the Nicaraguan government, he decided in 2021 to go into exile in Spain, a country that granted him citizenship.
This week it was confirmed that he will coordinate the literary program that Spain will develop at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (Mexico) 2024.
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