The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), with representation in Central America and the Dominican Republic, denounced that Nicaragua “is experiencing the most critical period” with the outlawing of more than 200 civil society organizations , which they claim “intensifies the reduction of civic space” in the country.
In a document titled “Quick Report Number 3”, the agency highlighted that “so far in 2022, there has not been a month in which the National Assembly does not massively cancel these organizations. The most critical period is being lived ».
The United Nations counted 159 entities canceled since the beginning of the sociopolitical crisis in the country. On May 4, the Sandinista steamroller outlawed 50 more organizations with a single swipe. If those recently outlawed are added, the number rises to 209 NGOs that were cancelled.
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The agency noted that “the suspension and involuntary dissolution of an association are the most severe forms of restriction of freedom of association.” In addition, that tens of thousands of people were affected by the outlawing of the entities, among the “beneficiaries of their services and employees.”
Persecution of opponents and closure of organizations
He explained that in 2021, the cancellation of 60 NGOs coincided “with the first arbitrary arrests in the pre-electoral period,” which resulted in 46 opponents being detained, including seven candidates for the Nicaraguan Presidency.
The UN described as “a new repressive dimension of the closure of civic and democratic space” and questioned the persecution and criminalization against members of civil society organizations.
The organization assured that Ortega attacked the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH) because its directors decided to “suspend operations before registering as foreign agents.” This led to the arrest of Cristiana Chamorro, director of the foundation and candidate for the Presidency, her brother Pedro Joaquín Chamorro and his workers Marco Fletes, Walter Gómez and Pedro Vásquez for alleged “money laundering and related crimes.”
“In no case has it been possible to establish that the funds received by the Foundation came from illicit activities, a prerequisite for the crime of money laundering to be configured,” the report reads.
Restrictive regulations affect NGOs
After the anti-government protests, the Ortega administration began to cancel the legal personalities of the NGOs. In 2018, he outlawed nine organizations.
The UN indicated that between 2019 and 2020, the illegal organizations were reduced, but the Ortega regime approved “a series of restrictive regulations on freedom of association that would later be the basis for subsequent cancellations.”
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About six laws “limit civil liberties in Nicaragua,” the organization highlighted. Among them are the Foreign Agents Law, the Special Cybercrime Law, the Law for the Defense of the People’s Rights to Independence, Sovereignty and Self-Determination for Peace; and the reform to the Law of University Autonomy.
Another of the repressive regulations is the new General Law for the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organizations, which aims to continue its persecution and criminalization of the right of association and citizen participation in the country, experts say.
“Laws have been enacted that, far from being used to give NGOs a legal basis and guarantee their rights, have served to keep them under strict control and have been used arbitrarily to legitimize the adoption of legal measures against them,” the report stresses. .
The UN held that states are obliged to “fully respect and protect freedom of association, including in the electoral context, including individuals who espouse dissenting views.”
“The right to freedom of association, in relation to civil society, contributes to addressing and resolving issues of importance to society, such as the environment, sustainable development, crime prevention, human trafficking, empowerment of women, social justice, consumer protection and the effectiveness of all human rights”, he added.
