The gorillas of AMLO

Jesús Sánchez Mélean

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AMLO’s recent condemnation of the Ecuadorian government’s assault on Mexico’s embassy in Ecuador has reverberated strongly across the region. President López Obrador expressed his rejection of “authoritarianism, coups, interventionism,” stating his aversion to seeing a world plagued by “gorillas.” However, while AMLO denounces these acts, he seems to overlook the presence of true “gorillas” in our region.

AMLO pointed fingers at Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa as a possible gorilla. However, I believe this young president is merely “a gorilla” in potential, in training, at best. AMLO forgets that we already have accomplished gorillas in our neighborhood. Not far from Mexico, three regional leaders have turned their countries into true authoritarian jungles. Nicolás Maduro, Daniel Ortega, and Miguel Díaz-Canel are the gorillas roaming our territories, trampling on the rights and freedoms of their citizens. They do not respect asylum.

Let’s start with Díaz-Canel, whose regime in Cuba has imprisoned over a thousand citizens for exercising their political rights. This island, just a stone’s throw from Mexico, has become a prison for those who dare to dissent. Anyone suspected of dissenting from the government will be detained by the authorities and accused of being a terrorist threatening state security. In mid-March, simple protests for improvements in public services led to the arrest of 400 people.

Maduro, in Venezuela, is no different. With over 250 political prisoners and harsh repression, he turns his country into a jungle of oppression and misery. Currently, six members of opposition candidate María Corina Machado’s campaign team are seeking asylum in the Argentine embassy in Caracas. While Argentina seeks to protect Venezuelan opposition figures, Maduro responds with reprisals, cutting off electricity and restricting vehicle circulation. Actions of a true gorilla.

Lastly, Ortega, in Nicaragua, governs like a true jungle lord, crushing any hint of opposition and leaving over a hundred political prisoners in his wake. Since the current human rights crisis erupted in Nicaragua in 2018, Ortega has not halted the onslaught against human rights and any form of dissent or criticism. Nicaraguan institutions intimidate, punish, and eradicate any form of political opposition or defense of human rights. Opponents either go to jail or go into exile.

These regional gorillas not only oppress their own citizens but also undermine fundamental principles such as the right to political asylum. It’s time for AMLO, not only to rightly point fingers at apprentice gorillas but also to recognize the real presence of these authoritarian predators in our neighborhood. It is crucial that Mexico, as a leading voice in the region, strongly condemns these human rights violations and defends the democratic principles that we value so much.