Michelle Bachelet, UN’s head of human rights, has issued a leaflet on Nicaragua’s deteriorating human rights situation, which she says encourages countless people to flee to other countries. She submitted her report to the UN Human Rights Council last Thursday, where it remains under review.
In her oral update, Bachelet warned that people’s right to freedom of expression and movement is seriously threatened in Nicaragua. She said hundreds of civic organizations had been stripped of their legal status.
She said new criminal legislation is being used to prosecute alleged opponents of the government of President Daniel Ortega. She said repressive measures, such as the confiscation of political opponents’ assets, were apparently put in place to silence critics.
Bachelet, referring to sources in civil society, said 173 people had been arbitrarily arrested in connection with the political and human rights crisis that erupted in 2018. She said another 50 were detained in the context of the 2021 presidential election. She said prisoners are being held in conditions that are contrary to UN standards regarding the treatment of prisoners.
“Relatives have reported that their dear loved ones are being held in inhumane conditions. Many of them need urgent permanent or specialized medical attention and they are being refused, “she said.” I would like to renew my request to the competent authorities to ensure the immediate release of persons arbitrarily detained and their physical and psychological integrity to guarantee. . ”
Bachelet warned the socio-political, economic and human rights crisis in Nicaragua was driving thousands of people out of their homes. Speaking through an interpreter, she said Nicaraguane is leaving the country in unprecedented numbers.
“In the last eight months, the number of refugees and asylum seekers from Nicaragua in Costa Rica has multiplied by two and now reaches 150,000. This represents 3% of the Costa Rican population. “The number of Nicaraguans intercepted on the border with the USA is increasing dramatically,” she said.
Nicaragua’s prosecutor general, Wendy Morales, condemned the report and accused Bachelet of acting unfairly and unfairly. She said the information provided was based on lies and hoaxes and did not represent the reality of life in Nicaragua.
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