Nicaragua Government Committing Crimes Against Humanity

March 3, 2023

Police on the streets of Managua in 2021. United Nations investigators said the government has systematically carried out arbitrary detentions and prosecutions of government opponents. [Image credit: Inti Ocón for The New York Times]

Cited article by Frances Robles, The New York Times

HRRC condemns the ongoing human rights abuses being carried out by the Nicaraguan government. We support the United Nations' findings and recommendations, calling for international sanctions and pushing to try President Daniel Ortega and top government officials in international court.

Article Summary

In March 2022, the United Nations authorized an official investigation into Nicaragua's human rights abuses, sending in a team of experts to gather information. Yesterday, the investigative team concluded that Nicaragua President Ortega, his wife, and top government officials committed crimes against humanity. The UN team recommended immediate international sanctions and compared Nicaragua’s current human rights violations to the Nazis, saying "the current government’s tactics to hold power beginning in 2018 were like those seen during the Nuremberg trials."

In 2018, President Ortega and his wife cracked down on political dissenters and protestors. The President authorized the police to shoot demonstrators, resulting in mass casualties. Police and government authorities also carried out extrajudicial killings under orders. In addition, the UN report found the government arrested, tortured, and prosecuted hundreds who defied the government rule.