U.N. panel accuses Nicaragua leaders of crimes against humanity

United Nations human rights experts stated on Wednesday that there are reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity have been committed in Nicaragua. The group, which has investigated the country since April 2018, accused co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo of establishing a dictatorship to ensure permanent dynastic rule.

Jan-Michael Simon, the chair of the expert panel, told reporters in Geneva that the regime has one clear goal. He noted that Ortega declared four months ago that Nicaragua would never hold elections again. The experts documented actions aimed at eliminating opposition, including arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and the stripping of citizenship from political rivals.

Nicaragua’s government responded by calling the Human Rights Council, a U.N. agency it has withdrawn from, manipulated and obsolete. The state accused neo-colonialist powers of using human rights standards for political aggression. Since the mass protests of 2018, which resulted in a crackdown that killed hundreds, Ortega and Murillo have maintained control.

The 2021 election, which Ortega declared he won after jailing leading challengers, is widely viewed as illegitimate. The United States does not recognize his presidency. Since that vote, the government has imprisoned or exiled adversaries, religious leaders, and journalists. It has also shuttered more than 5,000 organizations, many of them religious, and forced thousands of citizens to flee.

Reed Brody, a member of the expert group, said the Sandinista Party now has total control over the police, courts, and prisons. A constitution adopted last year removed the independence of the legislature and judiciary, placing them under the control of the co-presidents. Brody stated that no opposition parties or independent press remain inside the country.

Since February 2023, at least 452 political opponents have been declared traitors and stripped of citizenship. This group includes former Sandinista leaders, a former vice president, and all 2021 presidential candidates. Brody said a transnational surveillance network monitors and attacks hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans living abroad.

The experts urged nations to take Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice for violating the convention on statelessness. Nicaragua is not currently a party to the International Criminal Court.

The next step involves potential legal actions by other countries to address the loss of citizenship for stateless Nicaraguans.