In a stark alarm bell, United Nations experts have voiced serious concerns over the Nicaraguan government’s consolidation of total authority, describing it as a systematic execution of human rights violations. President Daniel Ortega and co-president Rosario Murillo have dismantled the final remnants of checks and balances, essentially transforming Nicaragua into an authoritarian regime since the violent repression of protests in 2018. This crackdown has propelled tens of thousands into exile, seeking refuge from a regime marked by severe oppression.
Jan Simon, chair of the U.N. Group of Experts, articulated that the Sandinista party and the state have melded into a pervasive machine of repression. He highlighted that Ortega and Murillo wield a vast surveillance system to monitor the populace, selectively targeting individuals for rights violations, thereby enforcing their grip on power. The experts lamented the erosion of democratic principles, calling the recent constitutional reform an intensified blow against democracy.
Passed last month, this reform effectively places all government branches under the presidency’s control, positioning both Ortega and Murillo as co-presidents and extending the presidential term from five to six years. Such moves solidify their family’s stranglehold on Nicaraguan governance. The experts outlined a grim picture of arbitrary detentions, unjust expulsions, confiscations of property, and disenfranchisement of the opposition.
In their urgent report, the UN experts have compiled a list of individuals implicated in this oppressive regime, which they plan to share with the Nicaraguan government and publicise through the UN Human Rights Council. They advocate for the international community to impose legal consequences and targeted sanctions on these offenders while seeking enhanced protections for Nicaraguan exiles.
The UN reports that the Nicaraguan government is solidifying its totalitarian control, violating human rights and dismantling democratic institutions. The consolidation of power under President Ortega and co-president Murillo has prompted mass exodus and extensive government repression since 2018. A recent constitutional reform further entrenches their rule, and UN experts are calling for accountability and protection for exiled Nicaraguans.
The UN experts’ report starkly highlights the Nicaraguan government’s authoritative transformation under Ortega and Murillo, warning of severe human rights abuses and democratic erosion. With the recent constitutional reforms, the regime’s control has intensified, posing grave threats to dissent and civil liberties. The international community is urged to respond with targeted sanctions and protections for those fleeing political repression.
Original Source: www.kob.com
