“Persecution of opponents to the Government or those perceived as dissenting voices has progressively been extended and intensified,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said at the bi-weekly briefing in Geneva this morning.
“The authorities continue to persecute not only those who express dissenting opinions but also any individual or organisation that operates independently or does not fall directly under their control. This includes human rights defenders, independent media outlets, non-governmental organisations, and any other entities that advocate for social or political change without government oversight,” he added.
“In the city of Matagalpa, in October 2023, authorities arrested a 70-year-old man for criticizing the Government in casual conversation. His whereabouts were hidden for a month, before he was convicted to seven years in prison, for arms trafficking, in proceedings lacking fair trial guarantees,” the spokesperson stated.
The report is based on 120 interviews mainly with victims and witnesses of human rights violations, meetings with representatives of civil society and the international community, as well as analysis of government and NGO documents. It covers a 12-month period starting from 15 June 2023 and provides detailed description of cases of arbitrary detention, at least two documented enforced disappearances, as well as violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.
The report notes that 131 perceived opponents were under arbitrary arrest as of May 2024, a steep increase compared to last year, according to civil society reports. Another 10 arbitrary arrests occurred in June and July 2024.
“Our office also continued to receive reports of violence committed against Indigenous peoples and people of African descent in the Caribbean Coast region, with at least two documented killings by settlers, who do not belong to these communities and seek to control their lands. Attacks, including gender-based violence, were carried out in a context of widespread impunity,” he said.
“Religious freedoms in Nicaragua continued to be subjected to undue restrictions, according to the report. At least 27 Catholic priests and seminarians were arbitrarily arrested between October 2023 and January 2024. A group of 31 clergymen were expelled from the country after being detained for various periods,” the spokesperson added.
Authorities have also revoked the legal status of many religious organizations, as part of a wider trend of arbitrary cancellations of NGOs’ legal status. During the reporting period, over 300 organisations, including those defending women’s rights, had their status revoked. In August 2024, a further 1,700 organisations were shut down in the most severe blow inflicted to civil society, bringing the total number of dissolved organisations to over 5000 since 2018.
“Just last week authorities proposed a draft law to allow the prosecution of individuals abroad for alleged crimes including money laundering, terrorism, and its financing and cybercrime, raising new concerns that such broad laws will also be used to further pressure and intimidate exiled citizens and foreigners for the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression and other rights,” said Al-Kheetan.
“UN high commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk calls for an urgent change of path from the Government. The 2026 elections offer a new opportunity. It is crucial that the right to political participation is fully respected for Nicaraguans to be able to safely and freely decide the future of their country,” the spokesperson said.
“The high commissioner urges the Government to release immediately all those arbitrarily detained, to ensure fair trials and due process for the accused, and a safe and voluntary return for the exiled. He also called for an end to acts of torture and ill-treatment, for holding perpetrators to account, for ceasing all forms of persecution, and reinstating previously held legal status for civil society organiations and political parties,” he said.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Thameen Al-Kheetan - + 41 76 223 77 62 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org or
Seif Magango - +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on continued human rights violations in Nicaragua
TRT: 03:40
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 3 September 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Human Rights Council annual panel on adverse impacts of climate change.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
The first meagre midweek delivery of urgently needed medical goods to enter Gaza in months will provide scant relief to the enclave’s people, who continue to be shot and killed as they search for food, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Statements , Edited News | HRC
Enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Myanmar presented by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and oral update by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
The conflict-impacted people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urgently need much more international assistance than they are getting today, the UN’s top aid official said on Thursday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNOG
Violence in Myanmar is spiralling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Palestinians killed seeking food in Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Iran-Israel war: UN rights office concerned over strike on Tehran prison, reported espionage arrests
Tehran’s notorious Evin prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
Death and suffering in Gaza are ever-present and the enclave's people now have little choice but to risk their lives to fetch aid supplies, UN agencies said on Friday. “I met a little boy who was wounded by a tank shell at one of these sites on the final day of me leaving Gaza - I learnt that this little boy had since died of those injuries,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder. “That speaks to both what is happening at these sites and what is not happening when it comes to medical evacuations.”
1
1
1
Edited News | UNCTAD
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched today the World Investment Report 2025. Global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 11%, marking the second consecutive year of decline and confirming a deepening slowdown in productive capital flows, according to the report.
1
1
1
Edited News
Afghan journalist Zahra Nader fled twice due to Taliban rule, highlighting severe women's rights issues.
1
1
1
Edited News
Gazan photojournalist Motaz Azaiza documents war's impact, gaining global attention but facing personal peril.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
As the Iran-Israel crisis continued into a sixth day, the UN deputy human rights chief Nada Al-Nashif called for urgent talks to end the continuing exchanges of missile attacks between Tehran and Tel-Aviv.