UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : Nicaragua: widespread deterioration of human rights

« Me entristece profundamente el continuo y generalizado deterioro de los derechos humanos en Nicaragua. Castigar y encerrar a quienes expresan sus opiniones, e intensificar aún más el aislamiento del país, son políticas que no sirven a los intereses del pueblo nicaragüense, ni siquiera de las autoridades », UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council today. (“I am deeply saddened by the continued and widespread deterioration of human rights in Nicaragua. Punishing and locking out those who voice their views, and further intensifying the country's isolation, are policies that do not serve the interests of the Nicaraguan people – or even the authorities,”)

“Since our report to the Council a year ago, individuals perceived as opponents or critics of the Government have continued to be persecuted, and subjected to measures that violate their human rights. These include long prison sentences handed down without trial, in the context of a justice system that lacks any independence; and the deportation, arbitrary deprivation of nationality and prohibition of Nicaraguans from returning to their own country,” he added.

As detailed in the report, the Nicaraguan government continues to impose severe restrictions on the civic and democratic space, closing down its people's individual and collective freedoms. It has also extended its control over civil society organizations, international NGOs, universities, and the media.

Poverty is high, but appears to be decreasing, from 14.2% in 2021 to 13.3% in 2022 according to the Government's figures.

Perceived critics of the authorities, and their relatives, are routinely harassed, persecuted and jailed. In February alone, 316 Nicaraguans perceived to oppose the Government were arbitrarily deprived of their nationality, their assets, and all civil and political rights. They included human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and social and political leaders – all of them, together with their families, forced to reinvent their lives from scratch in distant countries.

“Given the large number of people affected by this all-encompassing form of punishment, many people now say that they are frightened to leave the country, even briefly, for fear that they will be stripped forever of their right to return,” he said.

The report describes how organised civic activism and the defence of human rights have become almost impossible. Since August 2022, the legal status of 2020 civil society organizations has been cancelled, for a total of 3,394 organizations since 2018. In other words, almost half the civil society groups in Nicaragua have been closed down – and many others have been chilled into self-censorship. Twelve universities have also been closed over the past year. One, the Central American University was termed a "centre of terrorism to organize criminal groups." Closure of these universities, and the confiscation of some schools run by various Catholic congregations, limits access to the right to education and freedom of information, with damaging impact on freedom of expression and academic freedom.

“My Office also continues to document violations of freedom of religion and belief – mainly, but not exclusively, directed against the Roman Catholic church. They include coercive and arbitrary criminal and administrative sanctions, harassment, and detentions of both priests and worshippers,” Türk said.

To date, 71 people remain arbitrarily detained in Nicaragua, having been tried and sentenced without due process guarantees. One, Bishop Roland Alvarez was sentenced to 26 years in prison without any trial at all. We have also documented the incommunicado detention of numerous individuals for up to 18 months.

The report before you also documents patterns of torture. In July – after the reporting period ended – we documented a further seven cases of severe torture of detainees, including the use of electricity and the sexual abuse and rape of men. Women and girls are subjected to forced nudity, and humiliating and unnecessary genital searches, including prior to visits with detainees.

“Given this context, the expulsion from the country of all international bodies mandated to monitor detention conditions is alarming. It places people who are deprived of their liberty in a situation of extreme vulnerability. I call on the authorities to accept the return of independent and impartial international detention monitors; to eradicate torture and ill-treatment; and to reinstate due process guarantees and the rule of law,” he said.

Other issues of deep concern are the sharp and continued rise in violence in Indigenous and Afro-descendant territories over the past year. These murders and violent attacks, including the deliberate burning of homes and theft of land and assets, are conducted with impunity.

“I am also concerned by the high numbers of child marriages and teen pregnancies in Nicaragua, and by the country's total ban on abortion, which jeopardizes sexual and reproductive health, leading to unsafe abortions and the deaths of women and girls,” Türk said.

The Government's constant, unpredictable and arbitrary acts of persecution drive many people to flee. Between September 2022 and July 2023, 45,866 Nicaraguans applied for asylum in Costa Rica alone.

The High Commissioner urged the Government to demonstrate its service to its people by empowering them to meet, speak out and participate freely and fully in decisions. I appeal for the release of all people arbitrarily detained, as well as for the restoration, without discrimination, of the rights of individuals deprived of their nationality, as guaranteed in international instruments ratified by the State of Nicaragua.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva

Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or

Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or

Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org

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