Following the decision of President Daniel Ortega’s government to expel the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights mission one day after the presentation of its report “Human Rights Violations and Abuses in the Context of the Protests in Nicaragua”, on the serious crisis which the country has been facing since 18 April of this year, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:
“With this decision President Ortega makes clear the crimes committed and his contempt for the international obligations of his government. The mission of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the country has confirmed crimes under international law and serious human rights violations and has offered the government, in its report, a series of solutions that should be implemented immediately, in addition to those already suggested by other human rights organizations and bodies.”
“The Nicaraguan government is opting for a strategy of isolation in an attempt to avoid international scrutiny and continue to repress those exercising their rights to freedom of expression. This position only serves to worsen the crisis that has so far seen at least 322 people killed, thousands injured, scores of people arbitrarily detained and thousands fleeing their country in search of protection.”
“The expulsion of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights mission is the latest act by President Ortega’s government intended to generate an atmosphere of fear throughout the country, with the aim of silencing dissenting voices and those demanding justice. This type of act will not stop human rights organizations from continuing to expose and denounce their tactics of repression until we achieve justice, truth and reparation for the victims.”