United Nations human rights experts have stated that Nicaragua's co-presidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, have established a dictatorship and that there are "reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed." The expert group has been investigating allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Nicaragua since April 2018. The U.N. experts indicated they have documented actions by the husband-and-wife leaders aimed at eliminating opposition through arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, political persecution, and stripping opponents of their citizenship.
Jan-Michael Simon, chair of the group appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, described the situation as a "full dictatorship" with a goal of "permanent dynastic rule." Simon noted that Ortega stated four months prior that Nicaragua would "never hold elections again."
In response to the allegations, Nicaragua's government, which has withdrawn from the Human Rights Council, called the body "manipulated, obsolete and interfering." The nation accused "neo-colonialist powers" of weaponizing human rights for "political aggression."
Since mass protests in 2018 led to a government crackdown that killed hundreds, Ortega and Murillo have maintained control. Ortega declared himself the winner of the 2021 election, a vote widely viewed as illegitimate by the international community, after imprisoning all potential rivals. The United States does not recognize Ortega's presidency.
Nicaragua's government has imprisoned or exiled adversaries, religious leaders, and journalists, and has stripped hundreds of their citizenship, homes, and possessions. Since 2018, over 5,000 organizations, predominantly religious, have been shuttered, and thousands have been forced to flee the country. The government frequently accuses critics and targeted organizations of working with the U.S. and its adversaries to undermine its power.
Reed Brody, a member of the U.N. expert group, stated that Nicaragua's ruling Sandinista Party exercises "total control" over the police, courts, and prisons. According to the constitution adopted last year, the legislature and judiciary are no longer independent but are controlled by the co-presidents. Brody also noted the absence of opposition parties, an independent press, and critical non-governmental organizations within the country, leaving "simply no space left for anyone to disagree."
Since February 2023, at least 452 Nicaraguans identified as political opponents have been declared "traitors" and stripped of their citizenship, rendering them stateless. This group includes former Sandinista leaders, a former vice president, and all presidential candidates from 2021. A transnational surveillance network reportedly monitors, intimidates, and attacks hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans abroad.
The Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity have been committed. The experts are urging countries to bring a case against Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice for violating the convention on statelessness, although Nicaragua is not a party to the International Criminal Court.