UPDATE 1-U.S. sanctions three Nicaraguan officials in bid to pressure Ortega government

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Nicaraguan government officials under a program aimed at pressuring the leftist government of Daniel Ortega for what Washington views as its undermining of democratic institutions and the rule of law. The officials were targeted under an executive order that allows the U.S. government to slap sanctions on members of the Nicaraguan government for a crackdown on anti-government protests and the undermining of Nicaragua's democracy.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets held by the targeted officials and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Nicaragua has been embroiled in demonstrations since early last year over planned cuts to welfare benefits that have spread into broader protests against what critics see as Ortega's increasingly authoritarian-style rule.

The Nicaraguan government has called previous U.S. sanctions on officials, including Ortega's wife, a continuation of "imperial" designs on the small Central American country. The officials were blacklisted on Thursday for their roles in human rights abuses, election fraud, and corruption, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

"We are targeting members of the Ortega regime who have engaged in human rights abuse and corruption," said Treasury Deputy Secretary Justin Muzinich. The officials include Ramon Antonio Avellan Medal, deputy director-general of the Nicaraguan National Police; Lumberton Ignacio Campbell Hooker, the acting president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Electoral Council; and Roberto Jose Lopez Gomez, the director of the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute.

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