Nicaragua is the country with the most impunity in Central America and the third in Latin America, ranking 38th, only surpassed by Venezuela, which ranks 11th, and Haiti, 15th, according to the First Atlas of World Impunity, published on February 17, with analytical support from Eurasia Group.
The documenta presents a quantitative evaluation of impunity, where independent indicators stand out in five places in society, among which are irresponsible governance, human rights abuse, conflict, economic exploitation and environmental degradation. In addition, it scores and classifies the level of impunity in 163 countries.
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At the level of the Central American region, Nicaragua, governed by the dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, ranks as the worst evaluated with a score of 38, followed by Guatemala (40); Honduras (50) and El Salvador (73).
On the other hand, among the countries that have less impunity are Panama (114) and Costa Rica, with a score of 131, being the dimension best evaluated.
Nicaragua is positioned as the nation with the worst score in the isthmus in the dimensions of governance (14) and abuse of human rights, with 36 points. The numbers that rate the Ortega government the worst are based on the abuses of power committed as a result of the 2018 social protests that left more than 300 murdered, according to human rights organizations, adding to this arbitrary arrests and convictions for invented crimes. .
The economic crisis that the country is experiencing also gives a high impunity score to the Ortega dictatorship, since migration has been massive not only due to political issues, but also the lack of employment opportunities and the increase in the cost of living.
On the other hand, the Sandinista government is accused of another crime against humanity, after it exiled and stripped of the nationality 222 former political prisoners that it kept imprisoned in different jails in Nicaragua, extending the list of “stateless” to 317, after dispossess another 94 citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists, activists, feminists and priests.
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For his part, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen top the list with the highest impunity scores, with Finland, Denmark and Sweden ranking with the lowest impunity scores.
The study also highlights the ways in which impunity undermines democratic societies and accountability manifests itself in non-democratic systems. Variations in impunity ultimately come down to politics, leadership, and policy choices.
The Atlas is chaired by an independent, external global advisory board comprised of human rights experts and activists, former diplomats, and former government officials with a variety of regional and political perspectives.
