HRC Press conference of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua - 29 February 2024
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Press Conferences | HRC

HRC Press conference of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua - 29 February 2024

Press conference to launch the Experts' latest report on the human rights situation in Nicaragua

Speakers:

Jan-Michael Simon, Chair of the Group of Experts
Ángela Maria Buitrago, member of the Group of Experts

Jan-Michael Simon, Chair of the Group of Experts

Nicaragua's Grim Reality: Investigation by UN experts reveals crimes against humanity targeting civilians, including children and students, for political ends

GENEVA (29 February 2024) Serious systematic human rights violations, tantamount to crimes against humanity, continue to be perpetrated by the Nicaraguan Government for political reasons, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua said in their latest report today, detailing how the situation has deteriorated over the last year.

“President Ortega, Vice-President Murillo and the high-level State officials identified in the investigation should be held accountable by the international community, as should Nicaragua as a State that goes after its own people, targeting university students, Indigenous people, people of African descent, campesinos, and members of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations,” said Jan Simon, the Chair of the Group of Experts.

The report found that the persecution by the Government of Nicaragua of real or perceived opponents has become more refined. Violations, abuses and crimes have been perpetrated not only to dismantle active opposition efforts, but also to eliminate all critical voices and dissuade, in the long term, any new organization and initiative of social mobilization.

As the Government has neared its goal of total destruction of critical voices in Nicaragua, patterns of violations of the right to life, security and integrity of the person have grown less prevalent. Instead, in 2023, there has been an exponential increase of patterns of violations focusing on incapacitating any kind of opposition in the long term.

“Nicaragua is caught in a spiral of violence marked by the persecution of all forms of political opposition, whether real or perceived, both domestically and abroad,” said Simon. “In addition, the Government has solidified a spiral of silence incapacitating any potential opposition.”

Angela Buitrago, a member of the Group of Human Rights Experts, said “the persecution extends beyond Nicaragua's borders, with Nicaraguans abroad facing deprivation of nationality and legal identity, lack of access to official documentation and consular support, as well as other violations impeding family reunification and affecting extensively conditions for earning a living.”

Nicaraguan citizens have been left stateless and devoid of access to legal remedies, and many Nicaraguans are suffering from similar conditions caused by statelessness. Family members of victims of human rights violations are themselves victimized by the Government only for being related to real or perceived Government opponents.

These “violations by extension” are particularly serious when they affect children, who have been subjected to violations due to their relationship with, or the activities, and/or opinions expressed by their parents or family members. Many children have been separated from parents who were deported or banned from entering Nicaragua, and some have been denied valid passports to join their parents.

The report also highlights the consolidation and centralization of all State powers in the hands of President Ortega and Vice-President Murillo, particularly the total control exerted over the judicial branch.

“Centralization of power not only ensures impunity for perpetrators, but also undermines efforts towards accountability, said Ariela Peralta, another independent expert. “The Government has ensured that it remains in an increasingly solid bubble to perpetuate itself in power and annihilate anyone attempting to break that bubble.”

The Group of Experts said that the enacted Amnesty Law further entrenches impunity by shielding serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention, and torture, from prosecution. The Group of Experts said that such amnesty provisions are incompatible with Nicaragua's obligations under international human rights law, particularly the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The Group called on the Government to immediately release all persons arbitrarily deprived of their liberty, cease violations, abuses and crimes, particularly persecution on politically motivated grounds, and undertake exhaustive, independent, and transparent investigations of documented violations, abuses, and crimes to hold perpetrators accountable.

The Group urged the international community to take immediate action by expanding sanctions against individuals and institutions involved in human rights violations. Sanctions are a minimum form of accountability in a country where impunity and criminalizing democracy is the rule.

Other recommendations included ensuring fair access to identification and status determination procedures for Nicaraguans deprived of their nationality, those forced to leave or those who have been denied entry into the territory of Nicaragua. The Group called on the International Community to make use of its findings in security, financial and trade relations and policies, be it within the framework of Financial Action Task Force, the International Monetary Fund, or when conditioning preferential access of Nicaragua to markets on compliance with Non-Trade Policy Objectives, inter alia.

“The effect on the Nicaraguan population is devastating,” said Simon. “It will take the people of Nicaragua and the international community a significant amount of time and resources to recover everything lost under the rule of President Ortega and Vice President Murillo.”

ENDS

Read the full report here.

Background: The Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council. Established in March 2022, it is tasked to conduct thorough and independent investigations into all alleged human rights violations and abuses committed in Nicaragua since April 2018.

For more information about the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, see its webpage.

For media queries, please contact: In Geneva: Todd Pitman, Media Adviser for the Human Rights Council’s Investigative Missions: todd.pitman@un.org or +41 76 691 1761; or Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer: simp@un.org or +41 22 917 9763; or in Panama: Matías Ponce, Media Officer: gustavo.poncemartinez@un.org +507 6169 8153.


La sombría realidad de Nicaragua: Investigación revela crímenes de lesa humanidad dirigidos a civiles, incluidos niños y estudiantes, con fines políticos

GINEBRA (29 de febrero de 2024) – El Gobierno de Nicaragua sigue perpetrando graves violaciones sistemáticas de los derechos humanos, equivalentes a crímenes de lesa humanidad, por razones políticas, declara el Grupo de Expertos en Derechos Humanos sobre Nicaragua. La situación ha empeorado en 2023.

“El Presidente Ortega, la Vicepresidenta Murillo y los funcionarios de alto nivel identificados en la investigación deben rendir cuentas ante la comunidad internacional, al igual que Nicaragua como Estado que persigue a su propio pueblo, apuntando a estudiantes universitarios, pueblos indígenas, pueblos afrodescendientes, campesinos y miembros de la Iglesia católica y de otras confesiones cristianas”, afirmó el presidente del grupo de expertos, Jan Simon.

El informe señala que la persecución por parte del Gobierno de Nicaragua de personas opositoras reales o percibidas como tales se ha vuelto más sutil. Se perpetran violaciones, abusos y crímenes no sólo para desmantelar los esfuerzos activos de la oposición, sino también para eliminar todas las voces críticas y disuadir, a largo plazo, cualquier nueva organización e iniciativa de movilización social.

En la actualidad, al estar cada vez más cerca del objetivo de la destrucción total de las voces críticas en Nicaragua, los patrones de violaciones al derecho a la vida, la seguridad y la integridad de la persona son actualmente menos prevalentes. Durante 2023 ha habido un aumento exponencial de patrones de violaciones centrados en incapacitar cualquier tipo de oposición a largo plazo.

"Nicaragua está atrapada en una espiral de violencia marcada por la persecución de toda forma de oposición política, real o percibida, tanto en el interior como en el exterior. Además, el Gobierno ha consolidado una espiral de silencio que incapacita a cualquier oposición potencial", afirmó el experto independiente Jan Simon.

Además, “la persecución se extiende más allá de las fronteras de Nicaragua, dados los efectos de la privación de su nacionalidad y personalidad jurídica, la falta de acceso a documentación oficial y apoyo consular, así como otras violaciones que impiden la reunificación familiar y afectan ampliamente las condiciones para subsistir”, mencionó la experta Ángela Buitrago.

Las personas que fueron nacionales nicaragüenses son apátridas sin derecho a recursos jurídicos; otras tantas padecen condiciones similares causadas por la apatridia. A su vez, los familiares de las víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos son objetivo del Gobierno sólo por estar relacionados con opositores reales o percibidos como tales. Estas “violaciones por extensión” son particularmente graves cuando se trata de niños y niñas.

Los niños y niñas han sido violentados debido a su relación parental o a las actividades y/u opiniones expresadas por sus padres o familiares. Las deportaciones y prohibiciones de ingreso a Nicaragua han resultado en la separación de varios niños y niñas de sus padres. A varios de ellos se les ha negado la expedición de pasaportes válidos para reunirse con sus padres en el extranjero.

El informe también destaca la consolidación y centralización de todos los poderes e instituciones del Estado en manos del presidente Ortega y la vicepresidenta Murillo, destacando particularmente el control total ejercido sobre el poder judicial. “La centralización del poder no sólo garantiza la impunidad de los perpetradores, sino que también socava los esfuerzos por lograr la rendición de cuentas. El Gobierno se ha asegurado de permanecer en una burbuja cada vez más sólida para perpetuarse en el poder y aniquilar a cualquiera que intente romper esa burbuja”, afirmó la experta independiente Ariela Peralta.

El Grupo de Expertos señala que la Ley de Amnistía promulgada refuerza aún más la impunidad al proteger del procesamiento las violaciones graves de derechos humanos, incluidas las ejecuciones extrajudiciales, las detenciones arbitrarias y la tortura. El Grupo de Expertos enfatiza que tales disposiciones de amnistía son incompatibles con las obligaciones de Nicaragua bajo el derecho internacional de derechos humanos, en particular la Convención contra la Tortura y Otros Tratos o Penas Crueles, Inhumanos o Degradantes.

El Grupo insta al Gobierno a que ponga en libertad de inmediato a todas las personas privadas arbitrariamente de su libertad, ponga fin a las violaciones, los abusos y los delitos, en particular la persecución por motivos políticos, y emprenda investigaciones exhaustivas, independientes y transparentes de las violaciones, los abusos y los delitos documentados para responsabilizar a los perpetradores.

El Grupo insta a la comunidad internacional a tomar medidas inmediatas, en particular ampliando las sanciones contra personas e instituciones involucradas en violaciones de derechos humanos. Las sanciones son una forma mínima de rendición de cuentas en un país donde la impunidad y la criminalización de la democracia son la regla.

Otras recomendaciones incluyen garantizar un acceso justo a los procedimientos de identificación y determinación de estatus para los nicaragüenses privados de su nacionalidad, obligados a salir del país o a quienes se les niega la entrada al territorio de Nicaragua.

El Grupo llama a la Comunidad Internacional a hacer uso de sus conclusiones en materia de relaciones y políticas de seguridad, financieras y comerciales, ya sea en el marco del Grupo de Acción Financiera Internacional, el Fondo Monetario Internacional, o cuando condicione el acceso preferencial de Nicaragua a mercados sobre el cumplimiento de objetivos de política no comercial, entre otras cosas.

“El efecto sobre la población nicaragüense es devastador. Al pueblo de Nicaragua y a la comunidad internacional le tomará una cantidad significativa de tiempo y recursos recuperar todo lo perdido bajo el gobierno del presidente Ortega y el vicepresidente Murillo”, dijo Jan-Michael Simon.

TERMINA

Lea el reporte completo aqui.

Antecedentes: El Grupo de Expertos en Derechos Humanos sobre Nicaragua es un organismo independiente con mandato del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU. Establecido en marzo de 2022, tiene la tarea de realizar investigaciones exhaustivas e independientes sobre todas las presuntas violaciones y abusos de derechos humanos cometidos en Nicaragua desde abril de 2018.

Para más información sobre el Grupo de Expertos en Derechos Humanos sobre Nicaragua, consulte su página web.

Para consultas de los medios, comuníquese con: En Ginebra: Todd Pitman, asesor de medios para las misiones de investigación del Consejo de Derechos Humanos: todd.pitman@un.org o +41 76 691 1761; o Pascal Sim, Oficial de Medios del Consejo de Derechos Humanos: simp@un.org o +41 22 917 9763; O en Panamá: Matías Ponce, Oficial de Medios: gustavo.poncemartinez@un.org o +507 6169 8153.


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