The victims of the government of Nicaragua and national and international non-governmental organizations that work in the country requested, on Friday (14), on the occasion of the next Summit of the European Union (EU) with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( Celac), on July 17 and 18, the creation of the “Group of Friends of the People of Nicaragua” to guarantee a response to the current human rights crisis in the country.
“We hope that the Summit will be an opportunity to discuss the urgent challenges of human rights in Europe and in Latin America and the Caribbean, such as democratic backsliding, the increase in violence and abuses against migrants and asylum seekers”, quote the groups in a letter. published by Human Rights Watch.
Still according to the document, few countries in recent years have witnessed the consolidation of authoritarian regimes and systematic attacks against independent media and the dismantling of civil society as observed in the nation presided over by Daniel Ortega.
A report released in March by the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua is used as a reference, showing that reasonable grounds were found to conclude that local authorities committed crimes against humanity. Among the actions are: murder, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, forced deportation and persecution for political reasons.
“Sixty-four people remain arbitrarily detained in Nicaragua, according to local human rights groups, and the government recently stripped 317 critics of their nationality and confiscated their assets. It has also drastically restricted civic space, including deregistering more than 3,500 non-governmental organizations since 2018,” they explain.
“The government has intensified its attacks against the Catholic Church, priests and bishops, including Bishop Rolando Alvarez, arbitrarily sentenced to 26 years in prison. Furthermore, no international monitoring body has been allowed to enter the country since the government expelled the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in late 2018,” they continue.
The group of friends would be composed of governments from all political spectrums to contribute to the reestablishment of democracy in the country, according to the entities.
“High-level meetings” would be held to develop, in consultation with Nicaraguan civil society groups and other stakeholders, a strategy for peaceful, private and public actions to promote pathways to the release of political prisoners, accountability of perpetrators of violations of human rights and pressure for free and fair elections as soon as possible.
“While we welcome the existence of a Working Group on Nicaragua within the Organization of American States (OAS), we believe that the gravity of this crisis demands action at a higher level”, they justify.
“The proposed format of a ‘Group of Friends’ led by the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean, and with the involvement of authorities from the EU and its Member States, is an example of how a mutually respectful partnership and a balanced approach between the two regions should be to respond effectively to a human rights crisis in the region”, they conclude.
*Posted by Douglas Porto
Source: CNN Brasil
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