WASHINGTON / GENEVA – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) urgently call on the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS) to place human rights, democracy, the restoration of the rule of law, and accountability at the centre of their deliberations on 2 October regarding Nicaragua.
More than eight years after the onset of the crisis in April 2018, both bodies continue to document a widespread and systematic pattern of severe human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, deaths in state custody, property confiscations, arbitrary deprivation of nationality, and transnational repression.
In this regard, both bodies express their concern over the increasing number of detained persons whose whereabouts remain unknown, as well as the extreme risks to the life and physical integrity of those who remain in state custody. The persistence of enforced disappearances and other severe human rights violations as part of the patterns of repression against individuals perceived as opponents is grave and must cease immediately.
Furthermore, an intensification of transnational repression has been observed through acts of surveillance, threats, harassment, and violence against exiled Nicaraguans, their family members, and the organizations accompanying them, creating serious security challenges for other states in the region.
These violations occur within a context of growing and sustained concentration of power and the total dismantling of institutional checks and balances and of civic space.
The 2025 constitutional reform eliminated the principle of the separation of powers, created the so-called “co-presidency,” with a six-year mandate. Just one year later, a new reform – already approved in its first legislative session – proposes to extend that mandate to seven years with the possibility of renewal, and to elevate arbitrary restrictions against individuals labelled as “coup plotters” or “traitors to the homeland” to constitutional status.
These measures demonstrate the misuse of the constitutional order to perpetuate the government in power, exclude any political alternatives, and eliminate the conditions necessary for holding free, genuine, and competitive elections. In this context, the official announcement that elections are not expected to take place in 2027 constitutes a particularly concerning indication of the erosion of democratic guarantees and the rule of law.
Human rights, fundamental freedoms, and effective participation in public affairs are indispensable conditions for the existence of free, fair, and transparent electoral processes. Current conditions in Nicaragua fail to comply with required international standards; consequently, the essential elements of democracy do not exist. Therefore, the Inter-American Commission and the Group of Experts jointly urge OAS member states to act with determination, in accordance with the Charter of the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and international and regional human rights instruments.
The Inter-American Commission and the Group of Experts call upon states to use available mechanisms to contribute to the restoration of democratic institutions and the full respect of human rights in Nicaragua, in accordance with the principle of collective guarantee of the Inter-American system.
They also call for:
- The immediate and unconditional release of all persons detained on political grounds and the disclosure without delay of the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons.
- The reopening of civic space, halting the systematic closure of civil society organizations, independent media outlets, universities, and religious institutions, as well as the return of their assets.
- The end of transnational repression and the arbitrary deprivation of nationality, guaranteeing effective protection for persons in exile and the effective restitution of arbitrarily restricted or revoked rights.
