The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) delivered a petition to the State of Costa Rica to stop a judicial process of extradition of the Nicaraguan opposition farmer Reinaldo Picado Miranda and set a maximum period of four months for the Costa Rican government to respond to said request. This was reported by the peasant leader Medardo Mairena, through social networks.
The petition made by the IACHR, at the request of opponents, criticizes the “arbitrary detention and lack of due process of the right to international protection, refuge or asylum in Costa Rica, of citizen Reinaldo Picado Miranda, who is subject to extradition by the Ortega-Murillo Sandinista regime,” Mairena published.
Picado was accused by the Ortega dictatorship of “terrorism” after participating in the anti-government protests in 2018, he entered Costa Rica that same year and an extradition order was issued against him, so the Costa Rican government captured him and He is currently detained at the Gerardo Rodríguez Echeverría Center.
Last November, the IACHR issued a resolution granting precautionary measures to Picado Miranda. In the document delivered to Costa Rica, the organization indicates that the principle of non-refoulement must prevail, prohibiting the return of people to places where they may face serious risks to their life and personal integrity.
The Foreign Ministry of Costa Rica reaffirmed the Central American nation’s commitment to the resolutions of inter-American bodies in favor of Human Rights and assured that it will analyze the decision of the IACHR “under the principles of good faith, transparency and collaboration.”
In addition to “terrorism,” the Ortega-Murillo regime accused Picado Miranda of aggravated murder, organized crime, among other crimes. The extradition order was made in 2022.
The Costa Rican authorities rejected a first asylum request made by Picado, despite having evidence of his persecution; However, in 2023 he presented a new petition before the Administrative Immigration Court, arguing that extradition would expose him to serious risks in Nicaragua; this is still being analyzed.
Opposition member Medardo Mairena has repeatedly warned of the danger that the Costa Rican government exposes by extraditing Picado to Nicaragua and urges the state of Costa Rica to comply with international responsibilities and immediately release his peasant colleague.
