The United Nations Human Rights Council renewed this Monday for two more years the mandate of the Group of Experts on Human Rights on Nicaragua (GHREN for its acronym in English), which determined in a first report that in the Central American country “Crimes against humanity”.
The renewal was promoted by eight countries of the Americas: Costa Rica, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Brazil; and had the vote in favor of 21 votes in favor and 5 against. 21 countries abstained.
The GHREN, which was formed by a group of three experts in March 2022, had the objective of undertaking exhaustive and independent investigations “of all the alleged abuses and violations of human rights committed in Nicaragua since April 2018”, however, its term it was limited to one year.
This new resolution includes greater attention to violence and abuses against indigenous, rural, and Afro-descendant communities in Nicaragua, people stripped of their nationality, and acts of sexual and gender-based violence.
Organizations celebrate mandate renewal
Following the resolution, a total of 21 national and international human rights organizations that monitor the crisis in Nicaragua and that promoted the two-year renewal of the experts’ mandate, celebrated the results this Monday in a statement on the whole.
“The Nicaraguan authorities, under the instructions of President Ortega and Vice President Murillo, have gone to new extremes in their campaign to suppress all dissent, but today the international community has sent a clear message: those responsible, at all levels, will eventually be held accountable. ”, said Olga Valle, of the Nicaraguan organization Urnas Abiertas.
Similarly, Alexandra Salazar of the Legal Defense Unit (UDJ), indicated that “they welcomed this decision and we thank all the States that have supported this crucial accountability mechanism, which will guarantee that the wide catalog of abuses in Nicaragua does not remain off the international radar”.
The resolution of this Monday was rejected by the representation of Nicaragua. The attorney general, Wendy Morales, said that the text is based on “interventionist policies” and that the reports are “media campaigns that seek to injure the sovereignty” of Nicaragua.
“We do not accept any resolution or reports taken from sources that are adverse to our government,” Morales said.
The group of UN experts is headed by the German Jan Simon and the Colombian Ángela Buitrago. Previously there was the Chilean Alexandro Álvarez.
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