The UN human rights organ said Nicaragua lacked the conditions for freedoms of speech and assembly, placing the blame squarely on President Daniel Ortega's government. Ortega blasted the report as baseless and slanted.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Zuniga
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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on Wednesday on the political crisis in Nicaragua, where it detailed government-led repression efforts from street level all the way up to the justice system.
In carrying out its investigation, the UN team said it faced hurdles imposed by the Nicaraguan government. Team members were not given access to relevant government agencies or allowed to be present at court hearings of people accused by the government of crimes, ranging from organized crime to terrorism for participating in the protests.
The team was also forbidden to travel outside the capital city of Managua by the foreign ministry for alleged security reasons.
Still, the UN report was able to ascertain that illegal arrests, torture and closed trials had taken place. It said that doctors, professors and judges who have spoken out or protested against the government have been dismissed from their jobs as punishment or to dissuade participation.
"The level of persecution is such that many of those who have participated in the protests, defended the rights of the protesters, or simply expressed dissenting opinion, have been forced to hide, have left Nicaragua or are trying to do so," the UN said.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters that "repression and retaliation against demonstrators continue in Nicaragua as the world looks away."
The UN called on President Ortega's government to immediately halt the persecution of protesters and disarm the masked civilians who have been responsible for many of the killings and arbitrary detentions.
Nicaragua crisis explained
Continued protests have thrown the Central American nation into political disorder. DW looks at the key events that led to the chaos.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Herrera
Daniel Ortega: A Cold War relic
Embattled President Daniel Ortega has been a fixed presence in Nicaraguan politics for decades. Following the fall of longtime dictator Anastasio Somoza, Ortega became president in 1985, heading the leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front. With deep ties to Fidel Castro, he faced US opposition. The Reagan Administration supported a right-wing guerrilla movement aimed at bringing him down.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/S. Mc Kiernan
Opposition figure and return to power
After losing re-election in 1990, Ortega became a major opposition figure. Ortega finally won the presidency in 2006, riding the wave of leftist presidents in Latin America. He became a close friend and ally of Hugo Chavez. He has since changed tack, allying himself with the country's traditionally right-wing business community and clergy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/epa/M. Lopez
Nicaraguan government consolidates power
Coupled with changes in electoral law, Ortega has prolonged and cemented his rule. In 2016, he barred international observers and nominated his wife as vice-president. The pair won the election, which was condemned by the opposition and criticized internationally by the US, OAS and the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Arangua
Pension reform attempt
In April 2018, Ortega announced a move to reform Nicaragua's pension system, saying that fiscal changes were needed. The reform sought to impose a 5 percent tax on retiree and disability pensions while increasing social security contributions by up to 22.5 percent. The move unleashed large-scale protests nationwide, which have been the biggest challenge Ortega has faced during his modern tenure.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Zuniga
State repression and clergy mediation
The pension plan was abandoned but protests continued, demanding Ortega's ouster. UN Human Rights experts denounced the state's harsh repression. As the death toll rose, Nicaragua's Catholic Church has demanded that Ortega allow international organizations entry to Nicaragua to help investigate the deaths and tried to set up talks between the opposition and the government.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
Government and opposition sit down
The opposition, comprised of students and a wide range of civil society groups, sat down with the government for a round of talks on May 16. The Clergy said the talks would be focused on "justice, democratization, and peace." The opposition's main demand: new presidential elections in 2019. The government rejected the demands and talks broke down.
Image: Reuters/J. Cabrera
Catholic Church under fire
Bishops and priests in the strongly Catholic country have played a key role in the crisis. In addition to mediating the peace talks that stalled in June, the bishops have also seconded the call for new elections. Ortega has described the bishops as "coup-plotters" against him, and Catholic leaders have faced threats, harassment and attacks. Protesters have marched in support of the priests.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Ocon
Students as prime targets
University students have been the vanguard of the anti-Ortega movement. Many violent crackdowns have taken place on university campuses, often involving heavy gunfire. While the students say that paramilitaries loyal to Ortega are behind the shootings, the president denies that the armed individuals are under government control. He has also described the protesters as "terrorists" and "criminals."
Image: Image/Agencia EFE/J. Torres
Stalemate and instability
The death toll in four months of violence has risen to over 300 according to human rights activists, though the Ortega government says it's around 200. Protesters continue to take to the streets, describing torture, blacklists and job dismissals as repercussions for their demonstrations. In addition, the UN says over 20,000 people have sought asylum in Costa Rica in a crisis with no end in sight.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Felix
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Ortega: report is 'slanted'
Nicaragua's government dismissed the report as baseless and said that it relied on anti-government media accounts.
It also denied the excessive use of force against protesters and accused the UN of overstepping its authority, as well as violating Nicaragua's sovereignty.
"The report is biased and slanted with subjective assertions," the government said, noting that the UN had not included any mention of an attempted coup d'état that Ortega alleges he has been a target of.
The government added that the UN had not been invited to the country to assess its human rights situation, but to help the verification commission established as part of the national dialogue.
At a rally with his supporters, Ortega went further and insisted the UN did not care for his side in the crisis. "If the tortured person was a Sandinista, he doesn't exist for the UN human rights commission ... for them, the killer coup plotters were little angels," he said.
Ortega has blamed international agents and internal enemies of causing the current crisis and has vowed to not step down before the end of his term in 2021.
