The human rights situation in Nicaragua has "seriously deteriorated" over the past year, following arbitrary arrests, mistreatment of detainees, attacks on Indigenous people, and intimidation of political opponents, according to a UN human rights office (OHCHR) report released on Tuesday.
Human rights violations in Nicaragua have been ongoing since 2018 when university students and other civil society activists began protesting a new Social Security Act and calling for the president to step down.
The violent crackdown by security forces directed by the Government of President Daniel Ortega resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, religion, and other rights, under a "weaponised" justice system, according to independent rights experts.
The new OHCHR report, which covered a 12-month period from June 15, 2023, is based on 120 interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations, and civil society and other meetings.
The report said that "persecution of opponents to the Government or those perceived as dissenting voices has progressively been extended and intensified."
Report findings
OHCHR's report found that human rights defenders, independent media outlets and other organizations advocating for political change without any Government recognition have been persecuted by authorities, following the closure of hundreds of civil society groups.
"The authorities continue to persecute not only those who express dissenting opinions but also any individual or organisation that operates independently or does not fall directly under their control," the report said.
Last week, Nicaraguan authorities proposed a draft bill that would allow individuals abroad who allegedly committed crimes such as money laundering or terrorism, to be prosecuted, according to the report.
This raises public concern that the law could be used to "pressure and intimidate exiled citizens and foreigners for the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression, and other rights."
Increase in violence
The report detailed a dozen cases where detainees were tortured through various forms of sexual abuse and electric shocks.
Indigenous peoples and people of African descent have also experienced forms of violence with at least two reported killings by those seeking to expropriate land.
"The killings and other violent attacks, including gender-based violence, the deliberate burning of homes and illegal appropriation of Indigenous land and property were carried out in a context of widespread impunity," the report said.
Religious groups have also faced further "undue restrictions", including 27 Catholic priests and seminarians wrongly arrested between October 2023 and January 2024, the report cites. Additionally, many religious groups have seen their legal non-governmental organization status revoked.
A 'multi-faceted crisis'
OHCHR's chief, Volker Türk, said the crisis that has affected Nicaragua since 2018 is multi-faceted and there needs to be an "urgent change of path from the Government."
"It is distressing to see civic space continuing to be severely eroded in Nicaragua, and how the exercise of fundamental civil and political rights is becoming more and more difficult," Mr. Türk said.
"The 2026 elections offer a new opportunity", he continued. "It is crucial that the right to political participation is fully respected for Nicaraguans to be able to safely and freely decide the future of their country."
The rights chief is encouraging the Government to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained, ensure fair trials, end torture and ill-treatment, and reinstate the legal status of civil society organizations and opposition parties.
