IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Víctor Boitano Coleman in Nicaragua

December 5, 2024

Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 93/2024 on December 4, 2024, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Víctor Boitano Coleman in Nicaragua, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights to life and personal integrity.

The party who requested these precautionary measures said that the whereabouts of the beneficiary—a veteran of Nicaragua's National Army—had been unknown since he was violently arrested on April 23, 2024. He was allegedly taken from his home by police officers and armed individuals in plain clothes, without a warrant. State authorities had allegedly provided no official information about his whereabouts or current health condition. The State failed to provide information to the IACHR on this issue.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations, the IACHR considers that the beneficiary is at risk. Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR asked the State of Nicaragua to take the following action:

(a) Adopt any measures necessary to establish the beneficiary's whereabouts and condition, in order to protect his rights to life and personal integrity

(b) Say whether the beneficiary is in State custody, and if so provide the details of his arrest and of his conditions of detention (particularly by reporting on his place of detention and granting his lawyers and family access to him, as well as enabling any healthcare assistance he may require, and ensuring he is taken before court authorities so these may review and monitor his detention)

(c) 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.

The 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 who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 307/24

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