452 Nicaraguans stripped of citizenship as UN experts cite evidence of crimes against humanity

452. That is the number of Nicaraguans declared traitors and stripped of their citizenship since February 2023, according to a United Nations expert group. The individuals include former Sandinista leaders, a former vice president, and all presidential candidates from the 2021 election. The group stated on Wednesday that it has found reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in the country.

The investigation began in April 2018 and focused on allegations of abuses by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. The experts documented actions aimed at eliminating opposition, including arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and political persecution. Jan-Michael Simon, chair of the group appointed by the Human Rights Council, described the current government as a full dictatorship with one clear goal: permanent dynastic rule. Simon noted that Ortega stated four months ago that Nicaragua would never hold elections again.

Reed Brody, a member of the expert group, said the ruling Sandinista Party maintains total control over the police, courts, and prisons. He pointed to a constitution adopted last year that removed the independence of the legislature and judiciary, placing both under the control of the co-presidents. Brody stated that there are no opposition parties left, no independent press inside the country, and no critical non-governmental organizations. He described the situation as leaving no space for anyone to disagree.

The government has responded by calling the Human Rights Council manipulated, obsolete, and interfering. Nicaragua, which has withdrawn from the agency, accused neo-colonialist powers of weaponizing human rights for political aggression. The country is not a party to the International Criminal Court, though the experts urge nations to bring a case against it to the International Court of Justice for violating the convention on statelessness.

Since mass protests in 2018 resulted in a bloody crackdown that killed hundreds, Ortega and Murillo have maintained power. The 2021 election, widely viewed as illegitimate by the international community, was won by Ortega after he jailed candidates who could have beaten him. The United States does not recognize his presidency. The government has imprisoned or exiled adversaries, religious leaders, and journalists while shuttering more than 5,000 organizations, largely religious ones.

Brody said a transnational surveillance network monitors, intimidates, and attacks hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans abroad. The expert group’s findings rely on the documented actions of the co-presidents to consolidate power and remove dissent. The report details the systematic removal of citizenship and the control of state institutions as central components of the alleged crimes.