The Peasant Movement of Nicaragua has requested that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) take precautionary measures against two political opponents who were requested by the Nicaraguan dictatorship to Costa Rica and who, according to the statement, have already been extradited.
Peasant leader Medardo Mairena, who was forced into exile, says that with the help of international lawyers they made the request to the IACHR to protect the physical integrity of Reinaldo Picado Miranda and Douglas Gamaliel Perez CentenoThis is due to the lack of protection by the Government of Costa Rica for these Nicaraguans who, according to the document, had already requested asylum.
Douglas Gamaliel Álvarez Morales is accused by the Sandinista dictatorship of being the co-author of the death of an officer and a civilian in Nicaragua during the 2018 protests. Although Álvarez had already requested asylum, Costa Rican authorities extradited him last February.
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The Movement accuses Costa Rica of failing to assess the serious situation of systematic violations of human rights in Nicaragua and the repeated commission of crimes against humanity. It also claims that the politically motivated persecution of Picado and Pérez was not assessed despite the fact that it has been supported by abundant documentary evidence.
The document states that both were arbitrarily detained at the request of the Sandinista Police and to date they have not been allowed to see them and fear for their physical integrity. “These events constitute violations of the norms of the American Convention on Human Rights, such as: the right to physical, mental and moral integrity, and due process,” says the text.
Reinaldo Picado Miranda is currently incarcerated in Costa Rica and will likely be handed over to Nicaraguan authorities in the coming hours.
The Nicaraguan Peasant Movement seeks to create a precedent that fully guarantees the right to international protection for people fleeing their countries. They also call on the Costa Rican government to rectify the errors incurred in the cases of Picado and Pérez, preventing the Nicaraguan dictatorship from using extradition and Interpol to capture opponents.
“The criminal history of the Sandinista regime of the Ortega Murillo family is widely known, as detailed by human rights organizations of the regional and universal system and by the State of Costa Rica itself before the OAS, the UN and other international organizations,” the text says.
Opponents of the regime close the document by acknowledging that Costa Rica has received thousands of Nicaraguans fleeing state repression and the high levels of poverty in the country. More than half a million Nicaraguans live in Costa Rica.
