April 20, 2023
Cited article by Amnesty International
HRRC condemns the ongoing human rights abuses being carried out by Nicaragua's government. We call for the immediate end to the rights violations, encourage other nations to support displaced Nicaraguans, and urge for government reform in the country. Nicaraguans must be protected.
Article Summary
In a comprehensive report released on April 18, 2023, Amnesty International documents a massive human rights crisis in Nicaragua which began in response to protests five years ago. According to the report, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has employed brutal repression tactics, including excessive use of force, use of criminal laws to unjustly criminalize activists and dissidents, attacks on civil society, and forced exile. Further, to silence activists, journalists, and other voices critical of the government, authorities have arbitrary arrested, tortured, executed, and "disappeared" thousands of Nicaraguans.
The report found that at least 300 people have been killed, 2,000 injured, and hundreds detained since 2018. The tactics employed by the government are not permitted under international law and are seen as the "weaponizing of the criminal justice system", leading to "the imprisonment of hundreds of people just for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly, for denouncing abuses committed by the authorities and for defending and promoting human rights in Nicaragua." The government has also raided human rights organizations and independent media offices, and forcibly displaced thousands of Nicaraguans.