State continues to undermine the right to protest and expression

Association

Between 25th to 27th October 2018, the president of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) visited Nicaragua and held meetings with CSOs, representatives of international bodies and foreign missions. The IACHR has however been unable to meet with government representatives as their requests for meetings have gone unresponded. After the visit, the IACHR representative highlighted her concern for the growing acts of intimidation against women HRDs. In relation to women HRDs, the situation in which they are held in prison is also a cause of concern, after receiving reports of overcrowding, lack of basic health assistance, unsanitary conditions, and cases of direct violence inside prison as reported in the last update. Afro-descendant communities in the Caribbean region of the country also reported targeted attacks and harassment to those who participated in the protests.

In a separate development, on 26th November 2018, the government deported Ana Quirós, director of the Center for Information and Health Advisory Services (CISAS), feminist and LGBTQ community leader.  Quirós is originally from Costa Rica but was granted Nicaraguan nationality more than 20 years ago. The IACHR expressed its concern for the situation in which Quiros was detained, not allowing her to communicate with family or lawyers until she was presented to Costa Rican authorities in the border with Nicaragua with a deportation decision.

Expression

According to the newspaper La Prensa, new cases of attacks against journalists and independent media outlets have been recorded since the last report. The first was reported on 24th November 2018 when police officers attacked Gustavo Jarquín of Radio Corporación after he refused to deliver his cell phone to the officers. In another case registered this same day, the Director of the 100% Noticias Channel, Miguel Mora and his wife Verónica Chávez received death threats from a police officer. In this same event, Miguel Mora's driver, Carlos Navarro, was arrested and released soon after.

Another case was reported on 8th December 2018 when Rene Cuadra, cameraman of 100% Noticias, was released after reporting that he was locked in torture cells in El Chipote for more than two hours and was forced to strip naked and do squats while the police interrogated him looking for information about Miguel Mora.

The CENIDH condemned the attacks against Miguel Mora and his wife and demanded that the Ortega government cease this repression. CENIDH also announced that as of November 2018 they registered more than 100 requests for precautionary measures to Nicaraguan journalists. They have also received complaints from Radio Mi Voz and Radio Diario after the police illegally raided their facilities.

On 5th December, Reporters Without Borders published a statement expressing its concern in relation to freedom of the press in Nicaragua by saying it is in great danger as journalists have been victims of police brutality and abuse of authority in order to silence them for being "too critical".

Peaceful Assembly

The National Police rejected a request by the Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco (UNAB) and feminist movements delivered on 21st November, to hold a march that was planned for the commemoration of the International Day against Violence against Women on Sunday, 25th November. The police stated that "it does not authorise public mobilisations by people, associations or movements that participated and are being investigated for their actions in the failed coup attempt that has left behind trauma, mourning, pain to Nicaraguan families."

According to the UNAB, "it is absolutely false that the march was intended to promote ‘vandalism and terrorism’. 

The Special Follow-Up Mechanism for Nicaragua (MESENI) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expressed its concern regarding the measures that the Nicaraguan government is using to ban any kind of demonstration or social protest. The IACHR has consistently stated that "social protest and freedom of expression can’t be seen as a threat in democratic societies".