Medellin, Colombia – The Nicaraguan government is illegally misappropriating public funds to repress asylum seekers abroad, according to a United Nations Human Rights Office report released this Tuesday.
Through an analysis of documents and interviews since 2018, the report concluded that the government’s repression may amount to crimes against humanity.
“Political persecution is funded by the state, carried out through state institutions and extends beyond national borders to ensure that no one, absolutely no one, can interfere with the regime,” said Jan-Michael Simon, chair of the Group of Human Rights Experts.
The report details how public funds meant for welfare programs were misused to fund repression through pro-government armed groups, digital surveillance, and harassment to neutralize critics across the diaspora.
The repression network includes police, military, immigration officers and ambassadors who monitor asylum seekers and their families abroad.
This transnational repression created “an atmosphere of fear and suspicion” among exiled Nicaraguans, leading to “widespread self-censorship and social isolation.” Last June, Sandinista turned government critic Roberto Samcam was assassinated at his home in Costa Rica.
Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, co-presidents of the Central American country considered a dictatorship by international organizations and governments, have stepped up repressive tactics following anti-government protests in 2018 that left more than 300 people dead.
From the very beginning of his administration, the country has witnessed a decline in democracy and concentration of power. The ruling Sandinista Liberation Front (FSLN) has gained de facto one-party control of the country. Six presidential candidates have been jailed on charges of ‘treason’ to ensure Ortega’s re-election ahead of the 2021 elections.
The report details that since 2023, 452 Nicaraguans have been stripped of their nationality and thousands of exiles have had their requests to renew their identity documents denied. Those effectively stateless include politicians, human rights activists, and Catholics.
According to the UN, state repression has also targeted women and LGBTIQ+ people through sexual violence and destruction of feminist organizations.
The report highlights that international accountability, including existing sanctions from the UK, US and EU, remains important as the Nicaraguan government refuses to cooperate with the UN.
Featured image: 2018 protests in Masaya, Nicaragua.
Image credit: Jorge Mejía Peralta. patent.
