Defiant Ortega frees political prisoners in Nicaragua, expels them to U.S

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator takes part in a protest outside the "La Modelo" prison to demand the release of political prisoners in Tipitapa, Nicaragua June 19, 2019. The signs reads "Freedom" REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

MANAGUA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -More than 200 Nicaraguan political prisoners were freed and flown to the United States on Thursday, nearly all of them prominent government critics jailed in President Daniel Ortega's crackdown on dissent over recent years.

Ortega later described the surprise release as a push to expel criminal provocateurs who sought to undermine Nicaragua, while the United States hailed it as a "constructive step" toward improving human rights.