Crimes against humanity are possible in Nicaragua, independent rights research says
Revealing them first news to be delivered to the Human Rights Commission on Friday, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua urged the international community to impose sanctions on those responsible.
The experts concluded that President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo “committed these crimes” that continues today.
‘Widespread and systematic’
“Based on this research, we can conclude that widespread and systematic human rights violations are crimes against humanity – and they are. something about political reasons – committed against civilians by the Government of Nicaragua since 2018,” said Jan Simon, President of the Association of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua.
He told reporters: “They have weaponized the justice systembecome a weapon against the legislative work, robbing the executive function of the State against the population.”
Example of executions
From the evidence gathered, the expert report identified a pattern of extrajudicial killings carried out by agents of the National Police and members of the armed forces of the government.
You believe that they done “in a joint and coordinated manner” during government protests between April and September 2018.
Mr. Simon continued: “These violations continue to be committed today, who said that the result is that Nicaraguans “live in fear” of the Government.
“The number you look at in terms of executions… is over 100; if it comes to punishment, we will come to hundreds (or) even more, and if it comes to arbitrary detentions, this goes well beyond this number.
“For then other crimes under political persecution, (it comes to) several thousand.”
Threats, torture
Asked to confirm the scope of the investigation, journalist Ángela María Buitrago explained that information has been evaluated and confirmed on extrajudicial killings, torture and preventive detentions. “An unlimited number of elements that allow us to compile this report and its contents about people who have been threatened,” he said.
The report also indicates that representatives of the National Police and the National Prison System and members of the armed forces of the government “perpetrated acts of physical and mental violence, including sexual and gender-based influence” during the arrest, interrogation and detention of dissidents.
Attack on democracy
Explaining how the Nicaraguan authorities could carry out its appalling campaign of human rights violations, Mr. Simon emphasized that “these are not isolated incidents, but the result of crushing democratic institutions and destruction of civil society and democracy”
He added: “These violations and abuses are carried out in a widespread and systematic way for political reasons, which include crimes against humanity, murder, imprisonment, torture, including sexual violence, imprisonment and persecution on political grounds.”
