IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures in Favor of Edgar Francisco Parrales Castillo in Nicaragua

January 14, 2022

Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 1/2022 on January 12, 2022, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Edgar Francisco Parrales Castillo in Nicaragua, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights.

According to the party who requested these precautionary measures, the proposed beneficiary, described as a critic of Nicaragua's current government, has been deprived of liberty since November 22, 2021, without being able to contact his family and lawyers. Parrales Castillo was said to be seriously ill and to not be getting the medical attention he needs. The information provided by the State did not prove that the risk factors that had been identified had been adequately mitigated.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations made by the parties, the IACHR considered that Edgar Francisco Parrales Castillo is at risk, given the current context in Nicaragua. Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR asked the State of Nicaragua to take the following action:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to protect Edgar Francisco Parrales Castillo's rights to life, personal integrity, and health
2. Ensure that his conditions of detention reflect the applicable international standards, including the following: (i) access to his family and legal counsel, (ii) considering that his life, personal integrity, and health are in danger as a result of the circumstances that surround his current deprivation of liberty and health condition, an immediate, impartial, specialist assessment of his current health condition; (iii) access to the treatment and medication that have been prescribed for him; (iv) an immediate assessment of the possibility of granting him alternatives to deprivation of liberty, given his health condition, in keeping with domestic regulations and with the applicable inter-American standards
3. Report on any actions adopted to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures, in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future

The fact that these precautionary measures have been granted and their adoption by the State do not entail a prejudgment on a potential petition that may be filed before the inter-American system to allege violations of rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights and other applicable instruments.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 014/22

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