UN Experts Warn of Nicaragua’s Deepening Dictatorship and Systematic Human Rights Violations

UN Experts Demand Immediate Global Action as Nicaragua’s Regime Dismantles All Democratic Institutions.

A new report by the United Nations has issued a stark warning about Nicaragua's government, stating that President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have eliminated all remaining checks on their power, turning the country into a full-fledged authoritarian state. The UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua has documented severe and systematic human rights violations, including political persecution, forced exile, economic retaliation, and the eradication of institutional independence.

Since the mass protests of 2018, in which more than 300 people were killed during government crackdowns, Ortega and Murillo have solidified their control over the nation, using security forces, intelligence agencies, and political operatives to surveil and silence opposition voices. According to Jan Simon, Chair of the Group of Experts, "The state and the ruling Sandinista party have become a single entity, operating a vast machine of repression domestically and internationally."

A significant turning point was the constitutional reform enacted on February 18, which eliminated the last vestiges of democratic oversight. This reform created an executive structure of "co-presidents," consolidating power within Ortega and Murillo while reducing the judicial, legislative, and electoral branches to mere extensions of the presidency. The report describes this as a "final blow" to the rule of law in Nicaragua.

The UN experts confirmed, for the first time, that the Nicaraguan army participated alongside police and paramilitary forces in the 2018 violent suppression of nationwide protests. The report also reveals that the government has intensified arbitrary detentions, forced expulsions, and the stripping of nationality from individuals deemed threats to the regime. In September 2024 alone, 135 political prisoners were expelled to Guatemala and rendered stateless, bringing the total number of arbitrarily denationalized Nicaraguans to 452.

The Ortega-Murillo government has also ramped up property confiscations and economic reprisals against opposition figures. According to Ariela Peralta, a member of the Group of Experts, "This government is engaged in systematic repression, treating its own citizens as enemies." Many of these acts, the report asserts, align with previously established patterns of crimes against humanity.

In an unprecedented step, the UN Group of Experts has compiled a list of individuals, including Ortega and Murillo, who are believed to bear responsibility for these human rights violations and crimes. These names will be transmitted to the Nicaraguan government and relevant parties before being made public at the conclusion of the current session of the Human Rights Council on April 4.

The report urges the international community to take decisive action, emphasizing that failure to act will only embolden the regime and worsen the suffering of the Nicaraguan people. The experts recommend several measures, including:

• Strengthening support for Nicaraguan civil society, independent media, and human rights organizations to document ongoing abuses.
• Legal action against Nicaragua at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for violating the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
• Expansion of targeted sanctions against those responsible for repression.
• Increased protections for exiled Nicaraguans, including expedited asylum processes and assistance in recognizing professional qualifications for displaced students and professionals.
• Integration of these findings into international economic decisions, including IMF financial governance assessments and trade agreements with Nicaragua.

Reed Brody, another member of the Group of Experts, warned that Nicaragua has become a "land of surveillance and enforced silence," where those suspected of resistance face persecution, statelessness, or exile. "The international community must not merely observe but take concrete action—through legal measures, prosecutions, and targeted sanctions—to hold the government and individual perpetrators accountable."

The UN report serves as a crucial call to action, demanding urgent measures to prevent further atrocities and restore human rights protections in Nicaragua. As the Ortega-Murillo regime continues its repressive grip on power, global accountability mechanisms must be activated to protect Nicaraguans and challenge authoritarian rule.