According to the US State Department, Christiana Chamorro and two of her colleagues were arrested on “fabricated charges.”

The United States on Friday called on the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to immediately release the detained opposition leader Christiana Chamorro and two of her colleagues.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said: “Their detention on unwarranted charges is an abuse of their rights. This is an attack on democratic values ??and an obvious attempt to free and fair elections.”

Chamorro is Under house arrest After her home was raided by the Nicaraguan police on June 2, Ortega tried to maintain control of power during an escalating political struggle before the November elections.

The 67-year-old journalist Chamorro is seen as a possible challenger for Ortega, who is expected to run for re-election for the third consecutive term in November.

Policemen Raid the home of the Chamorro In the capital, Managua, after spending more than five hours on the scene, her brother Carlos Fernando Chamorro announced on Twitter that they would put her under “house arrest and isolation.”

The Chamorro is the third potential opposition candidate arrested in Nicaragua, where two opposition parties have been declared illegal.

The detention of the Chamorro also drew condemnation from the Democratic leader of the U.S. Congress and Representative Eric Svalwell of California on Friday.

“Instead of wasting time to suppress dissent in an undemocratic way, Ortega should work hard to get his country out of poverty and terrible violence, which has caused many of his voters to leave the country,” Svalwell Say.

I condemn in the strongest terms the unreasonable house arrest of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on the popular opposition candidate Christiana Chamorro. My statement: pic.twitter.com/Fiw1g4IOls

-Representative Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 4, 2021

Svalwell called on the Biden government to cooperate with allies in the region to “impose consequences for the Ortega regime’s attacks on freedom, democracy and human rights.”

A group representing Nicaraguan political prisoners and the mothers of the victims called for a nationwide strike after the Chamorro were detained.

“A national strike is better than a bullet,” said Grethel Gomez, standing in front of Chamorro’s house. The families of political prisoners came here to express their solidarity.

Earlier this week, the Nicaraguan Attorney General-Ortega’s ally-asked Chamorro to disqualify her from public office because a criminal investigation was conducted against her, and a judge immediately signed and approved it.

She was accused of money laundering by state attorneys and accused of false statements, but she denied these allegations.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken met with President Carlos Alvarado in neighboring Costa Rica on June 1, criticizing Ortega’s behavior and reiterating the United States Economic sanctions against Nicaraguan officials.

“Sanctions have a purpose, and that is to promote accountability for those who violate human rights, corruption or undermine democracy,” Brinken said.

In Costa Rica, Antony Blinken said “Nicaragua is moving in the opposite direction” | QCosta Ricahttps://t.co/QWbd4ciQEH

-Voice of Nicaragua (@vozdenicaragua) June 4, 2021

Although the Chamorro can appeal the disqualification, it is unlikely to be revoked due to Ortega’s influence on the court.

The Chamorro of legendary political descent has recently become a possible candidate for unity, and he can unite the divided opposition to defeat Ortega in the November vote.

Chamorro is the daughter of Violeta Chamorro. She was elected President of Nicaragua in 1990 and removed Ortega after she took power for the first time. Her father, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, led the democratic opposition Somoza in dictatorship after decades Assassinated in 1978.