The United Nations Organization (UN) announced this May 24 the team of three lawyers who will be in charge of directing the investigation into the alleged human rights violations in Nicaragua, an investigation that is part of the crimes committed in the context of the social protests that began in April 2018.
Jan-Michael Simon, originally from Germany, will be the one who chairs the “Accountability Mechanism for Nicaragua.” The expert is a criminal law researcher with a law degree from the University of Bonn.
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Between 2004 and 2019, within the former structure of country sections of the Department of Criminal Law, Jan Simon was the head of the Latin America section. Between 2005 and 2007 he coordinated the establishment of the International Max Planck Research Schools on Retaliation, Mediation and Punishment (IMPRS REMEP) and on Comparative Criminal Law (IMPRS-CC).
Between 2007 and 2019 he joined IMPRS-CC as its academic coordinator. In 2018 he was a visiting researcher at the Institute of Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He is an honorary professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the National University Hermilio Valdizán (Huánuco / Peru) and visiting professor at the Catholic University of Santa María (Arequipa / Peru).
The jurist also received an honorary doctorate from the Universidad Andina Néstor Cáceres Velásquez (Juliaca/Peru). He was a visiting researcher at the Institute of Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
“Fight against impunity”
Simon, in his work, “regularly combines” research with field work on issues related to human rights violations, the rule of law, the fight against impunity and anti-corruption.
He has joined international missions led by the United Nations, as a Senior Legal Officer and Field Investigator, and the Organization of American States, as a Special Advisor.
He has also led and coordinated the implementation of technical cooperation programs and projects for justice and security sector reforms, and the defense of human rights. He regularly contributes to civil society initiatives, for example: OSJI, DPLF, CEJIL, WOLA.
It should be noted that the expert also analyzes the impact of political corruption on human rights (challenging the notion of political corruption as a victimless crime) and on international security (challenging assumptions that the consequences of political corruption are limited to domestic sphere).
Alvarez, law specialist
Referring to the legal specialist Alexander Alvarez Alarcón, from Chile, learned through the Henry Dunant International Institute that this other designated by the UN to investigate Ortega has a Master’s in Law (LL.M.) and a Master’s in Political Science.
According to the data, the lawyer has extensive experience in public affairs. Legal, legislative and political advice. The subjects have basically concentrated on Public Law in general, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Human rights and Law of Indigenous Peoples.
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Since March 2014, to date he provides legal advice on politics, public and legislative policies in the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security. In addition, he is a professor of Introduction to Law, Administrative Law and Constitutional Law, at the Central University of Chile (March 2014 to date).
Buitrago Ruiz, criminal law specialist
As to Angela Maria Buitrago Ruiz, Originally from Colombia, she is a lawyer from the Externado University of her country, a specialist in Criminal Law from the University of Salamanca, in Criminal Law and Criminological Sciences from the Externado University of Colombia, a Master’s in Criminal Law and a Doctorate in Law and Sociology from this same university.
He is an undergraduate and postgraduate teacher at the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Criminal Law. Likewise, he is a member of the Colombian Institute of Procedural Law, the Ibero-American Institute of Procedural Law and the Criminal Lawyers Association of Santa Fe de Bogotá and Cundinamarca.
Will Ortega allow them entry??
So far it is unknown if the three experts will ask the Ortega government to enter Nicaragua or if they will work from outside the country. In 2018, the dictatorship removed the delegation from the UN and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
On March 31, 2022, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council approved the creation of a mechanism made up of international and independent experts with the mandate to establish “accountability for the serious violations that have occurred since 2018 in Nicaragua”.
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The resolution “Promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua” that orders the creation of said mechanism was approved with the favorable vote of 20 countries, seven against and 20 abstentions.
For their part, the dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have not spoken out about this new assignment from the United Nations Organization (UN), which once again puts actions that violate human rights against Nicaraguans under the microscope.
