Biden bans Nicaragua's president, first lady from entering the US over brutal crackdown

• Biden on Tuesday banned Nicaragua's president and spouse from entering the US.
• The sanctions came after Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega cracked down on opposition leaders.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday banned Nicaragua's president and spouse from entering the US in response to the government's brutal crackdown before recent presidential and legislative elections.

Biden said in a statement that it would restrict the entry President Daniel Ortega and other government leaders.

The ban includes restrictions on Ortega's spouse — and vice president — Rosario Murillo, and elected officials and their staffers.

Nicaragua's November 7 elections led to another victory for strongman Ortega who, since returning to power in 2007 after a hiatus, has cracked down on his opposition.

In the lead-up to the election, the Ortega's administration targeted journalists, civil society leaders, and opposition members, Biden said.

"The Ortega government's undemocratic, authoritarian actions have crippled the electoral process and stripped away the right of Nicaraguan citizens to choose their leaders in free and fair elections," Biden said.

Ortega first came to power as a revolutionary in 1979 when he helped overthrow a US-backed dictator, Insider's Charles Davis previously reported, but was voted out of office in 1990 after the country endured a civil war.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.