UN: Democratic backsliding in Nicaragua

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the report of the High Commissioner, which ensures essential scrutiny of the 'systematic undue restrictions of fundamental freedoms' in Nicaragua.

Since 2019, Nicaragua has been democratically backsliding, with criminalisation, persecution and violence against journalists and other dissident voices, and with detrimental impacts on civic space. The administration has resorted to a battery of legal and coercive tools; notable among them are the modification of laws such as those on 'foreign agents' or 'cybercrimes', as well as sanctions for spreading 'fake news' or committing 'treason'. These ambiguous rules have been used to punish dissent and strengthen state repression.

Between January and July 2024, Periodista y Comunicadores Independientes de Nicaragua (PCIN) recorded 47 attacks on freedom of expression. Of these, 31 were recorded in Nicaragua and 16 against those in exile, mainly in Costa Rica and the United States, showing that repression transcends borders.

Among the attacks civil society has registered are threats, arbitrary detentions, restrictions on internet access, legal proceedings, stigmatising rhetoric, forced displacement and exile, and even sexual abuse. Exacerbated by Nicaragua's withdrawal from multiple UN bodies, these repressive actions have created 'zones of silence' within the country.

At the same time, advocacy organisations and the media have developed strategies to resist this hostile environment. In August 2024, the House for Free Journalism was inaugurated in San José, Costa Rica, promoted by DW Akademie and Iplex, as a space for training and psycho-social and legal guidance for exiled journalists.

Regarding the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process of 2024, the Nicaraguan government rejected all recommendations, dismissing criticism as interference in its sovereignty. Authorities denied systematic violations, defended restrictive laws, and portrayed international concern as politically motivated. This response highlights its unwillingness to engage in accountability or address the repression of dissent and press freedom.

We urge Nicaragua to ensure the full respect for the right to freedom of expression, particularly through repealing or amending repressive laws and ceasing all attacks against journalists and other civil society actors, including acts of transnational repression.

We ask the High Commissioner and UN Member States to continue monitoring the human rights situation in Nicaragua, especially with regard to the right to freedom of expression, and to lend their support to civil society, as well as to urge the Nicaraguan government to continue in the UPR process.