According to the statement sent to the Panamanian counterpart institution, Martinelli requested asylum at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama, because he considered himself persecuted for political reasons and his life, physical integrity and safety were at imminent risk.

According to the text, Nicaragua decided to grant this status, in accordance with the Convention on Asylum of 1928 and on Political Asylum of 1933, and in recognition that this status is an institution of a humanitarian nature and that all people can be under its protection, without distinction of nationality.

“The Government of Nicaragua requests the Government of the Republic of Panama to provide assurances for the prompt departure and humanitarian transfer of the asylum seeker Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal to the Territory of the Republic of Nicaragua,” the document concluded.

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