The UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua has urged the international community to hold the Nicaraguan Government accountable for grave human rights violations and international crimes. Presenting its findings to the UN General Assembly for the first time, the group expressed concern that a country once known for promoting peace and democracy in Central America now stands accused of dismantling the rule of law and democratic institutions.
Based on more than 1,900 interviews and over 9,300 documents, the group’s findings reveal a deliberate State policy aimed at silencing dissent and consolidating power through violence, fear, and the systematic erosion of fundamental rights. Many of these violations, the group noted, amount to crimes against humanity. A growing number of enforced disappearances has raised deep alarm, with experts highlighting the immense suffering of families left in anguish and fear while searching for missing relatives.
The report also exposes the Government’s cross-border repression, targeting real and perceived opponents living abroad. Thousands have been stripped of their nationality, property, and livelihood, and continue to face harassment and surveillance. Experts condemned the deprivation of nationality as a tool to erase dissent, causing devastating impacts such as family separation, loss of identity, and denial of access to basic services.
The murder of exiled critic Roberto Samcam in Costa Rica in June 2025 underscored the dangers faced by Nicaraguans abroad. The experts noted that the Ortega-Murillo regime has built a transnational network of persecution, intimidating exiles and their families, denying documentation, and manipulating international law enforcement mechanisms.
The Group also criticized Nicaragua’s withdrawal from five UN agencies and the Human Rights Council, calling it a deliberate move to avoid scrutiny and secure impunity. They emphasized that this isolation does not reflect sovereignty but rather an attempt to escape accountability.
In closing, the experts urged the international community to take concrete action through legal proceedings, sanctions, and strengthened protection mechanisms for exiled Nicaraguans. They called for accountability under international law, particularly for violations of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, affirming that the courage of victims and persistence of rights defenders remain vital to achieving justice and change in Nicaragua.
