Nicaragua’s people defenseless in face of grave human rights violations, UN Group of Experts says

GENEVA (10 September 2024) – The human rights situation in Nicaragua has dramatically worsened since last year, with the Government continuing to facilitate, coordinate and execute serious human rights violations and abuses, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua warned in its latest update to the Human Rights Council today.

Power is increasingly being concentrated in the hands of Nicaragua’s President and Vice-President, the Group said, and there is nowhere for the nation’s citizens to turn to for justice and accountability, deepening the already widespread climate of impunity.

“Nicaragua does not meet even the minimum reasonable standard of judicial independence,” said Jan-Michael Simon, the Chair of the Group of Experts. “Continued violations are leaving entire sectors of the population in a state of defenselessness.”

Arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment, and the instrumentalization of criminal law to eliminate any opposition, real, potential or perceived as such, continue. Victims are forced to choose between prison and leaving the country. A very recent example of this is the departure of 135 people imprisoned for political reasons, the Group said, noting none of them were indigenous political prisoners.

Civil rights are also under massive threat. The Group said that in August this year the State forced 1,800 non-profit organizations to close and arbitrarily confiscated their assets - barely two years after the Financial Action Task Force’s decision to remove Nicaragua from its list of high-risk countries. Adequate, effective, and fair legal remedies are currently not guaranteed, despite the International Monetary Fund’s recommendations to Nicaragua.

The State’s forced takeover of universities and the violations against student leaders and professors have immensely affected the higher education of thousands of students and their life projects, having a serious impact on the prospects and development of the country.

“Indigenous Peoples and communities of African descent suffer ongoing serious violations of their rights to self-determination and territory. Their leaders and activists are systematically persecuted by the State for defending their rights,” said Simon. “The State, through lack of prevention and investigations, is also responsible for violations arising from serious abuses by private parties, particularly gender-based violence and killings.”

Simon told the Council the Group of Experts has documented continued waves of repression targeting members of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations. “These repressive waves are also violating the right of thousands of people to freely and publicly practice their religion and are affecting the enjoyment of other rights such as freedom of conscience, expression, and opinion,” said Simon.

Violations with cross-border reach have also continued: victims outside the national territory continue to be arbitrarily deprived of their livelihoods. Relatives of opponents of the Government, including children, also continue to be victimized solely for their family ties.