Nica News Roundup (March 27) – Human Rights Free Fall Continues.

March 27, 2019

Nicaragua

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The status of human rights in Nicaragua continues to degrade, as negotiations between the Alianza Civica and the OrMu administration have yet to extract tangible concessions from the government.

Though negotiations have yielded unilateral promises and commitments from the Ortega-Murillo administration, the day-to-day reality in Nicaragua has barely changed.

Disregard for the rule of law continues, unabated, according to Julio Montenegro, lawyer for the Comisión Permanente de Derechos Humanos (CPDH).

One of these rights is the right to a speedy trial.

Yesterday, Mr. Montenegro told the press that forty-two judicial processes involving political prisoners have been suspended since February 27. The suspensions have left 108 people in limbo.

“These cases have, in fact, been acknowledged by the state as involving people who have been accused because […] of protesting. Therefore, these cases are political,” said Montenegro.

Mr. Montenegro characterized the status of human rights as chaotic.

“[Respect for human rights] has not declined. It has fallen. You can pick any aspect of the Penal Code, and I can tell you how it has been violated. […] I don’t want to exaggerate, but if we’re talking about over 300 dead and a large number of wounded and tortured, we’re dealing with a chaotic situation. That is a violation of human rights, and article 46 of the Constitution is practically wet paper.”

On March 20, the Ortega-Murillo administration agreed to release all political prisoners within 90 days. To date, no one has been released, and at least two individuals who where excarcerated in the past few weeks, have been rearrested.

Furthermore, Ortega-Murillo penitentiary officials continue violating prisoner rights. The most recent instance occurred at the Modelo Penitentiary.

Political prisoners at the Modelo Penitentiary began a protest on March 22. According to the CPDH, the prisoners were isolated and denied food and water. The delivery of care packages has also been restricted. CPDH lawyer Pablo Cuevas said that these actions undermined the idea of government good will in the negotiations

We must condemn these actions. They are brutal actions that violate the rights of those who are incarcerated. [These actions] make it seem like the government does not have a true willingness to resolve the situation through a dialogue

Cuevas also confirmed reports of prisoners being forced to stand outside, at noon, for about an hour, naked. “This is a condemnable action, given that prisoners must have suffered from dehydration and sun burns.”

On March 22, the negotiators for both sides agreed to “request that the inmates be placed in the general system,” which meant that they would be entitled to the same privileges as ordinary inmates, including access to the yard.

The CPDH’s report makes it clear that the yard has been turned into a punitive space for torture.

As negotiations continue, the Alianza’s inability to force concessions becomes even more evident. Yesterday Max Jerez, who represents college students at the negotiations, indicated that the coalition has been insistent in demanding the immediate release of everyone and the respect for constitutional rights. However, “there have been no substantial agreements.”

We have been demanding respect for constitutional guarantees and individual liberties of all Nicaraguan citizens. We believe that the Nicaraguan people have constitutional rights, and they should be able to exercise those in the best way possible, without any obstacles or hinderance.

The roadmap for negotiations set a March 28 deadline. Without substantial agreements, it is very unlikely that it will be met.

Denis Moncada, the administration’s foreign minister, said this morning that “we continue making progress in a very positive way.” Moncada did not address any of the specific questions being hurled at him by reporters.

Freedom House’s 2019 Freedom in the World report downgraded Nicaragua from “partly free” to “not free” because of the “authorities’ brutal repression” of dissent.

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