Nicaragua: Ortega Government Urged to Stop Repression and Investigate Deaths

HAVANA TIMES – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) today urged the Government of Nicaragua to “immediately cease the repression” of social protests and to investigate and punish those responsible for 76 deaths since last April in the country, reported dpa news.

A delegation of eleven officials from the IACHR presented a preliminary report of their four-day visit to this country at a press conference in Managua, in which they included 15 recommendations to the government of President Daniel Ortega to enforce human rights.

“The Commission urges the State of Nicaragua to cease immediately the repression of social protest. The State should adopt as a matter of urgency the necessary measures to guarantee the free and full exercise of the rights of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and political participation,” the document states.

The IACHR said that during the crisis that broke out a month ago there were 76 deaths, 878 injured, five of them hospitalized and in serious condition, and 438 arrested among students, civilians, human rights defenders and journalists.

The IACHR also indicated that the police used bullets of different types and tear gas “indiscriminately” to quell the protests and that in some places they used snipers. In addition, the commission received reports of possible extrajudicial executions.

“The IACHR emphatically condemns the deaths and arbitrary detentions of students, protesters and journalists since the beginning of the protests and which continues to this day,” added the report read by Chile’s Antonia Urrejola, special rapporteur for Nicaragua and head of the delegation.

They also condemned the death of two police officers and the attacks against other public officials.

“The Commission strongly urges the State of Nicaragua to investigate these facts, to prosecute and punish those responsible and to make reparations to the victims of human rights violations,” the text emphasized.

Full Text only available in Spanish at this time: CP FINAL – VISITA A NICARAGUA