A UN report released on Tuesday decries a deteriorating human rights situation from June 15, 2023, to June 15 of this year in Nicaragua.
The report, issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), details events assembled through 120 interviews, primarily with victims and witnesses, as well as 106 meetings with representatives of civil society organizations and the international community.
The office discovered widespread rights violations in Nicaragua, particularly targeting potential government opponents. Numerous documented cases reveal that critics of the government were arbitrarily arrested and many individuals in custody were also subjected to unfair trials, inhumane conditions and torture, in violation of Nicaragua’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Civilians were also prevented from exercising their right to take part in public affairs during regional elections held in 2023, with forced dissolutions of political parties impeding participation. Similar limitations were also imposed during the 2021 elections, where several opposition candidates were arrested due to allegations of “vague” crimes against the state, ultimately enabling a fourth consecutive term for incumbent President Daniel Ortega, who first took office in 2007. Many other representatives and groups, particularly religious organizations, were also subject to arbitrary arrests and forced dissolutions, with at least 27 Catholic priests and seminarians arrested arbitrarily between October 2023 and January 2024.
The report also revealed that the protection of rights was unequal across race and gender lines, with women and indigenous peoples facing greater challenges in securing rights protections. Nicaragua’s high levels of gender-based violence were recognized in the report, as well as numerous instances in which the use of indigenous land was granted to corporations without sufficient consultation with indigenous communities.
The OHCHR recommended the state take steps to comply with its international obligations, beginning with the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained and the ceasing of all torture and inhumane treatment. OHCHR’s chief Volker Türk stated there must be an “urgent change of path from the [g]overnment” and noted the 2026 elections in Nicaragua will “offer a new opportunity” for the country.
Nicaragua has been criticized for its lack of rights protections, with Freedom House declaring Nicaragua as “not free” and rating the state a score of 16 out of 100 in its 2023 Freedom in the World report, due in large part to the restrictions imposed on citizens’ political and civil freedoms. Since the report was released, the state has also imposed controversial new laws instating criminal penaties for those who facilitate or promote sanctions against the government.
