as a Crime Against Humanity
“Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo, and senior state officials must be subjected to judicial investigations for their responsibility in crimes.”
HAVANA TIMES – Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo extended repression over the past year to the entire population perceived as opposition or “not sufficiently loyal” to the Sandinista regime, states the Group of Experts on Human Rights in Nicaragua (GHREN), in a new report to the United Nations, presented on February 29, 2024.
“President Daniel Ortega, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and identified senior state officials must be subjected to judicial investigations for their possible responsibility in the crimes, violations, and abuses described and discussed in this report and in the Group’s first report. Nicaragua must also be held accountable for its possible state responsibility,” the report concludes.
The experts point out that in the past year, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo extended repression to the entire population perceived as opposition or “not sufficiently loyal” to the Sandinista regime.
“They carried out ‘illegal acts’ with the intention of ‘ensuring, through the violation of a multitude of human rights, the elimination of any threat these individuals might pose’,” the experts note.
Furthermore, they analyzed in detail patterns of violations and abuses, impunity, and individual criminal responsibilities, describing the organized power structure of the repressive State and its chains of command.
Among the actions classified as crimes against humanity, are the exile and statelessness of 317 Nicaraguans. “These crimes were perpetrated in the context of a discriminatory policy (…) intentionally applied from the highest levels of the Government, constituting prima facie the crime against humanity of persecution for political reasons.”
Widespread Persecution Extends to Children
Among Ortega and Murillo’s victims are members of different sectors of society including priests, seminarians, journalists, judicial employees, judges, indigenous leaders, students, members of civil society organizations, and political and peasant movements.
“All of them were real or perceived opponents of the Government,” they emphasize, adding that the families of these individuals were also “victimized simply for being related to government targets.”
GHREN documented persecution against relatives of regime victims, including children, who were discriminated against and had their rights violated due to their parents’ activities or opinions.
“The children have been separated from their parents, who were expelled or denied entry into Nicaragua, and apparently because the children were also denied a valid passport to reunite with their parents,” they denounce.
Lack of Resources and Government Ignoring UN Experts
This is the second report of the Group of Experts, composed of German jurist and group president Jan-Michael Simon, an expert in Criminal Investigation and Criminal Law; former Colombian prosecutor Angela Maria Buitrago; and Uruguayan lawyer Ariela Peralta Distefano. All were appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council, and they worked voluntarily as independent experts, supported by a secretari
