Human rights defenders and indigenous leaders from the North Caribbean of Nicaragua considered it positive that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requested the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) extend provisional measures to residents of the Communities of musawas and willuin the North Caribbean Coast Region of Nicaragua.
The objective of the request, according to the agency, is to consider that “the residents of the identified communities are in a situation of extreme gravity and urgency of irreparable damage to their rights.”
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Human rights defender and president of the Las Segovias Leadership Institute, Haydee Castillosaid to Article 66 that “it is important that these measures be extended over time and that the Court (IDH) can continue to pressure the State of Nicaragua to comply with what these measures imply.”
He recalled that despite the fact that these measures are binding, the Government of Daniel Ortega has not done anything “to protect the life, the integrity of these communities that are seeing their subsistence in serious danger because the settlers take over their livelihoods and their cultural identity, since —the community members— are moving to other territories”.
Given the decision of the IACHR to request the extension of the provisional measures, Castillo also called on the Inter-American Court “so that it can extend them as soon as possible and, above all, question the State of Nicaragua that these measures are binding because it has a commitment with the international community and with the Political Constitution of the Republic to protect the life and integrity of indigenous peoples.”
For his part, an indigenous leader said, on condition of anonymity, that the extension of the provisional measures is due to the entire situation that is currently happening in the indigenous communities.
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“There is a lot of violence, murder and kidnapping, and the conditions are being given for forced displacement and for many families to abandon their homes and crop areas,” said the local.
Psychological terror due to colon invasions
On the other hand, the source indicated that there is a lot of “psychological terror” among the community members, because he assures that the activities carried out by the settlers are “terrorist-type.”
“Due to everything that happens in the communities, these measures are necessary, although we know that the Government of Nicaragua does not respect these international instruments, but that does not mean that it does not have any responsibility; so we will continue to demand the responsibility of the State », he stressed.
He also warned that what is happening in the indigenous communities is very serious, since the attacks in those territories are not an isolated event. “Several years ago, since a ranger was killed in 2013, the invasions continue to advance, and in this sense, the conflict for the communities is very great, to the point that life, food security, culture, and culture are at risk. That is why these measures are urgent.
He stressed that although at this moment the Ortega regime does not comply with what the measures mandate, it is expected that a precedent will be set “and that the fight for the restitution of our rights may have a result in the future.”
15 precautionary measures have been issued by the IACHR
The coordinator of the Center for Legal Assistance to Indigenous Peoples (CALPI), María Luisa Acosta, indicated, for her part, that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has issued around 15 precautionary measures to Miskitu and Mayagna communities.
However, it stated that “since the situation is tougher for these peoples, the Commission is obliged to ask the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for provisional measures (…)”.
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He explained that the idea is for the State of Nicaragua to abide by these measures, once they have been issued by the Inter-American Court, and to protect these peoples “from the systematic and repeated attacks of these criminal gangs that are currently attacking and depriving their community members from their sowing, fruit gathering, hunting, and fishing areas; thus denying them the right to move along the rivers they pass through”.
On February 13, 2022, the IACHR granted precautionary measures in favor of the residents of the Musawas and Wilú communities, but the agency stated that the requests for information from the State “received no response (…) to address the risk situation ».
It also denounced that “serious acts of violence have occurred in the Musawas and Wilú communities, consisting of death threats, kidnappings, the presence of heavily armed third parties seeking to appropriate community lands and, recently, the violent murder of members of the community by third parties, called “settlers”, which led to the forced displacement of residents of the communities”.
Despite the constant reports of invasion by settlers and crimes against indigenous people, criminal actions have not stopped, rather the levels of violence have increased.
