UN experts identify 54 officials responsible for Nicaragua grave human rights violations News
Fernanda LeMarie - Cancillería del Ecuador, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN experts identify 54 officials responsible for Nicaragua grave human rights violations

The UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua released a landmark report on Wednesday naming 54 Nicaraguan officials allegedly responsible for grave human rights violations. The violations occurred as part of a systematic campaign of repression allegedly orchestrated by President Daniel Ortega’s government.

The report names 54 people, including President Daniel Ortega, Rosaria Murillo (co-president and first lady), Francisco Diaz (National Police director) and Ana Julia Guido (attorney general). The report also accuses the officials of crimes including arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial killings and the suppression of dissent.

According to the report, the repression has also been directed at religious leaders, journalists and human rights defenders, leading to the forced exile of thousands, including prominent opposition figures and journalists who have faced harassment, intimidation and death threats. The report underscores serious concerns about impunity and the erosion of judicial independence in Nicaragua.

Recently, Nicaragua witnessed a significant constitutional reform that President Ortega proposed and the legislature ratified. In November 2024, the legislature approved the president’s spouse as co-president and extended a presidential term from five to six years. The duo also enjoyed greater control over the other government branches. The legislature ratified these reforms in February.

The report comes after the UN Group of Human Rights Experts had warned in late February that the regime of President Ortega had transformed Nicaragua into an authoritarian state. Additionally, a UN report released in early September of last year decried a deteriorating human rights situation in Nicaragua, with the UN office discovering widespread rights violations, especially against government opponents.

Relatedly, the US State Department imposed arms restrictions on Nicaragua last year, citing “brutal repression” and “recent sham elections” as grounds for sanctions, and underscoring the US’s commitment to protect human rights through “diplomatic and economic tools.”

The findings in this report are expected to heighten calls for accountability and justice in Nicaragua.

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