Sinn Féin hosted the ally of controversial and “repressive” Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega

Valdrack L Jaentschke, an international affairs advisor to Mr Ortega, attended the ard fheis at the RDS earlier this month. According to a local news report in Nicaragua, he expressed the “greetings and solidarity” of Mr Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, “with the fraternal Irish people and the Sinn Féin Party with whom we have historic ties of friendship”.

Sinn Féin chairman Declan Kearney tweeted about “international solidarity and brotherly relations” with “friends and comrades” and included a picture with Jaentschke. “A total of 60 representatives from 50 countries were present at this year’s ard fheis,” said a spokesman for Sinn Féin yesterday.

“Sinn Féin’s unequivocal commitment to international law, human rights and our commitment to constructive engagement, dialogue and multilateralism has paid off.”

However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Ortega, the leader of the left-wing Sandinista movement, of dismantling almost all institutional controls over the president’s power.

It has highlighted enduring problems, including severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association, political discrimination and severe restrictions on abortion.

Mr. Ortega led the Sandinista movement to power in the 1980s, overthrowing Anastasio Somoza’s dictatorship and defying US efforts to prevent his legitimate election in 1984 by supporting the Contras.

But according to HRW, authorities arrested several opponents of Mr Ortega in last year’s presidential election, most of them subsequently charged with treason. He was elected to his fourth consecutive term last November, having ruled since 2007. In the 1980s, he served just one term as president before being voted out.

Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus opposed a European Parliament resolution denying the legitimacy of last December’s election results, arguing it was the first step in the European Union’s strategy to impose heavy trade sanctions on Nicaragua.

Recently, Mr MacManus abstained on a parliamentary motion calling on the EU and the United Nations Security Council to launch a formal investigation into Nicaragua and Mr Ortega for “crimes against humanity”.

Here, the government has expressed serious concern about events in Nicaragua over the past few months, while President Michael D. Higgins, who hosted Mr. Ortega at his Galway home in 1989, has recently criticized Nicaragua’s “shift on human rights”.

Foreign Secretary Simon Coveney told the Dáil in September: “Ireland is deeply concerned by Nicaragua’s continued campaign of repression against all dissident voices, which include religious leaders, NGOs, human rights defenders, political opposition and independent media.”

He said Ireland supports EU sanctions against individuals and organizations responsible for gross human rights abuses in Nicaragua and stands ready to support additional EU action that upholds democratic norms and human rights in Nicaragua.

Mr Coveney’s Deputy Secretary Colm Brophy yesterday said Sinn Féin’s links to the Ortega regime were “ominous” given recent events.

“Sinn Féin’s close association with an authoritarian leader and the support of his political party should send a very strong warning shot in the bow to any honest citizen who values ​​freedom of choice and expression, values ​​that underpin Irish society and political life.” so the said the Minister for Development Assistance Abroad.

“President Ortega and the SFNL [Sandinista National Liberation Front] managed to turn Nicaragua into a one-party state, exercising control by changing the country’s laws, silencing the media and jailing candidates who planned to run against him. Sinn Féin must be asked serious questions about their motives for promoting loyalty to such a regime.”