IACHR condemns grave human rights violations against people deprived of their freedom in Nicaragua

October 9, 2024

Washington, D.C. —The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has condemned the continued grave violations of the human rights of people being deprived of their freedom for political reasons in Nicaragua and urges the State to release them immediately.

In recent weeks, the IACHR's Special Follow-up Mechanism for Nicaragua (MESENI) has received testimonies from some of the 135 individuals released from prison on September 5, 2024, and deported to Guatemala, among them human rights defenders, lay Catholics, and missionaries.

The testimonies describe appalling conditions of detention, including unsanitary cells, lack of access to drinking water, insufficient, poor-quality food, negligent medical care, restricted access to medicines, and limitations on receiving packages and family visits.

The reports and testimonies detail cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment by state agents, such as beatings, electric shocks, prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, continuous interrogation, and restricted access to daylight.

The IACHR received accounts from women detained at La Esperanza prison, who described the lack of basic hygiene products, overcrowding, and insufficient sleeping space in unsanitary cells. Some women were subjected to solitary confinement and received inadequate medical care even though many experienced health problems, including infections. The presence of surveillance cameras in cells was also reported.

Following their release and deportation to Guatemala, these individuals expressed deep uncertainty and a sense of vulnerability due to the physical and emotional impacts of their detention, along with fear for the safety of their families in Nicaragua.

The IACHR calls on the international community to provide humanitarian and legal assistance to the released detainees to help them rebuild their lives with dignity. It urges host countries to grant them international protection and a stable migration status to help them integrate into their new communities. The IACHR also renews its urgent call for the Government of Nicaragua to end the persecution of human rights defenders, activists, and political dissidents, immediately release all those who have been arbitrarily detained, and guarantee their right and that of their families to live free from threats and reprisals.

At least 36 people currently remain in arbitrary detention, including at least eight Indigenous leaders being held in dire conditions without access to clean water, adequate food, and medical care, amid allegations of mistreatment.

The IACHR demands the immediate release of all individuals being arbitrarily deprived of their freedom and reaffirms its commitment to promoting and protecting human rights in Nicaragua.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly. They serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

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