The Agency of the United Nations Organization for Refugees (UNHCR) joined the list of international organizations in regretting and rejecting the cancellation of Nicaraguan nationality to 317 citizens.
“It is truly worrying that more than 300 people have been arbitrarily deprived of Nicaraguan nationality,” UNHCR reproached in a statement dated February 17.
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The agency pointed out that the most recent legislative reforms in Nicaragua, which allow a person to be arbitrarily deprived of citizenship “contravene the obligations of this country within the framework of international and regional human rights law.”
UNHCR reminded the Nicaraguan government that international law prohibits the arbitrary deprivation of nationality for racial, ethnic, religious or political reasons and that (…) “depriving someone of their nationality will never be justified by the exercise of fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom of association or other rights relating to a person’s political views.”
In addition, it indicated that Nicaragua is party to the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, as well as the 1961 Convention to Reduce the Cases of Stateless Persons. “Therefore, UNHCR urges the country to comply with its international obligations to guarantee the enjoy the right to nationality and to take measures for the prevention and eradication of the stateless person,” he said.
On the other hand, the agency highlighted that in addition to its mandate to protect refugees, “UNHCR has received from the UN General Assembly the mandate to identify and protect stateless persons —including stateless refugees— such as prevent and reduce cases of statelessness”.
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“In 2014, as part of the #IBelong to End Statelessness campaign, UNHCR published a Global Action Planwhich among other things urges States to “prevent the denial, loss and deprivation of nationality for discriminatory reasons,” UNHCR concluded.
On February 9 and 15, the dictator Daniel Ortega Ortega included in the stateless list 222 former political prisoners whom he exiled to the United States and later stripped 94 citizens of their nationality, led by priests, journalists, opponents and defenders. of human rights, most of whom are in exile in different countries.
Despite the new attack by the Ortega government, those affected have affirmed that they remain firm in denouncing the serious violations of human rights in Nicaragua, as well as the demand for the departure of the Ortega and Murillo regime.
