In a stark warning, UN experts have highlighted the alarming state of governance in Nicaragua, suggesting that the government under President Daniel Ortega and co-president Rosario Murillo has dismantled the remaining checks and balances, effectively consolidating total control. The report claims that the government is ‘systematically executing a strategy’ fraught with severe human rights violations, a dark escalation following the violent repression of protests in 2018.
The UN panel described how Ortega’s regime has merged the state with the ruling Sandinista party, creating a pervasive machine of oppression. “Ortega and Murillo operate a wide intelligence machine, surveilling the population and selecting targets for the violation of rights,” stated Jan Simon, the chair of the U.N. Group of Experts. This surveillance state is indicative of elaborate measures taken to ensure dominance over citizens.
A crucial constitutional reform enacted last month has further entrenched this autocratic rule, as it centralises power within the presidency and designates Ortega and Murillo as ‘co-presidents’. This change guarantees the continuation of family power while extending presidential terms, all of which effectively diminishes any semblance of democratic governance and civil rights in Nicaragua.
Furthermore, the experts have raised concerns regarding the government’s increased reliance on tactics such as arbitrary detention, forced expulsions, and the confiscation of private property. With the additional stripping of Nicaraguan citizenship from dissenters, the regime has intensified its grip on power, forcing many into exile. The experts are compiling a list of those accountable for these infringements, intending to share this with the Nicaraguan government and the UN Human Rights Council.
UN experts have issued a grave warning regarding the Nicaraguan government’s actions, indicating a complete breakdown of checks and balances under President Ortega and co-president Murillo. Their report highlights severe human rights abuses, the launch of a surveillance state, and recent constitutional reforms that centralise power. The regime employs tactics that include arbitrary detention and the stripping of citizenship. Experts recommend international actions and sanctions against responsible individuals.
The situation in Nicaragua, as outlined by UN experts, reveals a country caught in the vice grip of an authoritarian government. By eradicating checks and balances, expanding repressive measures, and instituting reforms that entrench power, Ortega and Murillo have created a landscape of fear and oppression. The experts call upon the international community for urgent action to address these grave human rights violations.
Original Source: abcnews.go.com
