Written by Yannick Wild, PBI-Switzerland
At the UN Side event ‘Nicaragua: Contemporary architecture ‘, organized by Peace Brigades International at the Human Rights Council 58, UN experts and human rights defenders provided critical insight on the ongoing human rights crisis in Nicaragua, where systematic repression has intensified since 2018.
The UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, represented by Jan-Michael Simon and Ariela Peralta, documented the government’s intensifying methods of control – including violent suppression of protests, arbitrary detentions, torture, and targeted elimination of political opposition. Since February 2023, the government has further escalated its repression by stripping hundreds of Nicaraguans of their citizenship, rendering them stateless and facilitating asset confiscations. Peralta emphasized that these actions not only silence political opposition but also create significant challenges for international legal accountability and human rights protection.
Andrés Sánchez Thorin, from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, underscored how recent constitutional reforms have legalized violations, effectively dismantling fundamental guarantees of due process. “These changes are compounded by the elimination of the separation of powers, as these legislative and judicial branches have been redefined as bodies coordinated by the presidency”. Thorin further warned that the elimination of the express prohibition of torture and the legalization of paramilitary groups will aggravate the human rights crisis.
Salvador Marenco of the ‘Colectivo Derechos Humanos Nicaragua Nunca Más’, reinforced these concerns by highlighting how the de facto state of emergency and illegitimate constitutional reforms have effectively eliminated Nicaragua’s remaining democratic institutions. The legal framework now facilitates impunity, enabling systematic repression, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances. Marenco urged the international community to denounce these crimes before bodies such as the International Court of Justice, aligning with recent European Parliament resolutions.
Providing a powerful personal testimony, Eugenia S. Valle de Boitano described Nicaragua as an “all-encompassing prison” where freedom of expression has been extinguished. She recounted her husband’s enforced disappearance in April 2024, a case emblematic of the widespread repression affecting numerous families. Her plea to the international community was clear: stronger action is needed to prevent further atrocities. “To this day, we don’t know what is happening,” she stated, emphasizing that her family’s ordeal is not unique – dozens of others share the same fate.
Wilmer Gutiérrez Gomez, an advocate for Indigenous rights, concluded the event by addressing the ongoing marginalization of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities under Nicaragua’s new constitutional framework. He warned that the militarization of Indigenous lands, the imposition of government-aligned authorities, and the lack of legal protections have led to forced displacements, assassinations, and the silencing of their historical demands. Gutiérrez called for urgent measures to protect these communities, stressing that true constitutional reform must uphold the human rights of all Nicaraguans.
The event painted a stark picture of the worsening human rights crisis in Nicaragua, underscoring the need for sustained international attention and action to hold the government accountable and support those affected by its repressive policies.
The Group of Expert on Nicaragua presented its report to the Human Rights Council on the 28th of February and the council will decide upon renewal of its mandate at the end of the session.
The Human Rights Council is holding its fifty-eighth session from February 24 to April 4, 2025 at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
