UN Denounces Human Rights Violations in Nicaragua and Calls for Change

The UN has denounced the increase in human rights violations in Nicaragua, calling on the regime of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega for ‘an urgent change of course’, including the immediate release of all political prisoners.

‘The human rights situation in Nicaragua has seriously deteriorated since last year, with an increase in cases of arbitrary detentions, intimidation of opponents, ill-treatment in custody and attacks against indigenous peoples,’ according to a report published today by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, quoted in the report, said that ‘the multifaceted crisis affecting Nicaragua since 2018 demands an urgent change of course on the part of the government’.

‘It is worrying to see how civic space continues to be severely eroded in Nicaragua and how the exercise of fundamental civil and political rights is becoming increasingly difficult. The 2026 elections offer a new opportunity. It is crucial that the right to political participation is fully respected so that Nicaraguans can safely and freely decide the future of their country,’ said Mr Türk.

The UN official urged the Nicaraguan government to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained and called for an end to acts of torture and ill-treatment, as well as for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

The document indicated that by May 2024, 131 opponents were under arbitrary detention, which represents a sharp increase compared to the 54 people in June last year, according to civil society reports. In June and July 2024, there were 10 more arbitrary detentions, the OHCHR said.

The report also presented 12 cases of torture and ill-treatment during the period of detention. Seven of these detainees reported being the victims of rape, sexual abuse and electric shocks.

The UN also continued to receive reports of violence committed against indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants in the autonomous regions of the Caribbean Coast, documenting at least two murders.

At least 27 Catholic priests and seminarians were arbitrarily detained between October 2023 and January 2024. A group of 31 clerics were expelled from the country after being detained. The authorities also revoked the legal status of numerous religious organizations.

During the reporting period - which covers 12 months from 15 June 2023 - more than 300 organizations were closed down, including some that defended women's rights.

In August 2024, a further 1,700 organizations were closed down, in the most severe blow to civil society, bringing the total number of organizations dissolved to more than 5,000 since 2018.

At the legislative level, pressure has also increased in the country. Last week, the ruling party proposed a bill to be able to prosecute people abroad suspected of various offences, including terrorism, and the UN fears that this reform will serve as yet another tool of repression and intimidation at the service of Ortega's government.