Nicaragua Extends Transnational Repression Against Exiles, UN Reports

The Nicaraguan government under co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has intensified repression against critics both domestically and abroad, targeting thousands of exiles who fled after the 2018 protests. A UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) presented reports detailing a sophisticated surveillance and intelligence network involving the Army, Police, and other state and non-state actors that monitors, harasses, and intimidates dissidents overseas. Methods include digital espionage such as hacking and spyware, as well as physical threats, arbitrary deprivation of nationality, bans on re-entry, and asset confiscation. The repression extends to family members of exiles remaining in Nicaragua, creating a climate of fear among the diaspora, primarily in Costa Rica, the United States, and Spain. This crackdown is facilitated by legal restrictions on freedom of expression and civic space, with Nicaragua withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council amid international condemnation. Despite these challenges, Nicaraguan civil society and media in exile are developing resistance strategies, including establishing support centers for exiled journalists.