UN Names 54 Nicaraguan Officials for Human Rights Violations

A recent report by the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua has identified 54 government officials, including President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, as being responsible for systematic human rights violations in the country. The 234-page document reveals a tightly coordinated system of repression that has facilitated arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions, and the persecution of civil society since protests erupted in 2018. Experts highlighted the increasing centralization of power under Ortega and Murillo, who have co-opted state institutions to suppress dissent and maintain control. The report underscores a deliberate state policy to use every arm of government against the populace, effectively silencing opposition and eradicating independent institutions. It also indicates that this regime change followed a controversial constitutional reform that granted the couple extensive control over the government. The findings have drawn international attention, with Nicaragua's government previously withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council in response to the scrutiny.