Nicaragua leaves UN Human Rights Council after violations report

The Central American country on Thursday suddenly announced it would withdraw from the council following the release of a report accusing its government of serious human rights abuses. Three UN experts compiled the report at the council’s request, documenting violations stretching back to 2018. Issues they highlighted included targeted repression of Catholics, arbitrary imprisonment and exile orders, and torture. The experts also presented evidence that the Nicaraguan army, despite its denials, assisted police in 2018 crackdowns that left hundreds dead.

Vice President and first lady, Rosario Murillo, dismissed the report as slander, Reuters reported. The Venezuelan representative to the UN also criticized the findings, calling them propaganda.

The experts who compiled the report called on the Human Rights Council to hold Nicaragua’s government accountable and advocate for its citizens’ rights. They plan to send President Daniel Ortega’s administration a list of officials deemed responsible for human rights abuse, giving them the opportunity to respond to specific accusations.

Is Nicaragua a democracy? Ortega recently consolidated nearly all power into the presidency, pushing his country’s congress to pass a constitutional reform that put the judicial, legislative and electoral branches under him. The reform also named Ortega’s wife, Murillo, co-president and extended the presidential term by a year. That change took effect Feb. 18. The UN report concluded Nicaragua is now an authoritarian state and no independent institutions remain.

Is the UN Human Rights Council controversial? Both the United States and Israel recently said their representatives would no longer engage with the council, accusing it of harboring human rights abusers. The State Department’s most recent human rights reports call out current council members China, Cuba, and Democratic Republic of the Congo for serious violations.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on how Ortega’s government forced hundreds of churches and NGOs to close last year.