The council said that more than 300 people were killed, 2,000 injured, and hundreds arbitrarily arrested during last year’s violent repression of peaceful nationwide protests. / A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo.
|
Nicaragua continues to repress and harass opponents, United Nations says
By A.M. Costa Rica staff
and Lisa Schlein
A report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council accuses Nicaragua of continuing to repress, threaten and harass human rights defenders and other opponents one year after the government’s violent crackdown on nationwide demonstrations.
The council said that more than 300 people were killed, 2,000 injured, and hundreds arbitrarily arrested during last year’s violent repression of peaceful nationwide protests. More than 70,000 people also fled into exile to escape the heavy-hand of the Nicaraguan government, it added.
The U.N. deputy high commissioner for human rights, Kate Gilmore, said peaceful protests and dissent continue to be repressed in Nicaragua. She says more than 440 imprisoned protestors have been released, but more than 80 remain in custody under severe conditions.
“Our Office has received allegations that some of them were subjected to torture or ill-treatment by correction officers. . . . We are deeply concerned that human rights defenders and community leaders continue to be targets of attacks, of threats, harassment and constant surveillance," Gilmore said.
Gilmore said people are deprived of the right to freedom of expression, including freedom of the media. She says journalists and other media workers are threatened, harassed and censored. She notes two prominent journalists were detained for more than five months under terrorism charges.
She urged the government of President Daniel Ortega to engage in a genuine and meaningful dialogue to address people’s legitimate demands for justice and reparation.
Nicaragua’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Carlos Ernesto Morales Davila, dismisses the charges as ill-founded. He says human rights defenders are not persecuted. They can freely promote and defend human rights. However, he accused some of these groups of perverting their cause and engaging in destructive activities.
He said they are trying to destroy the constitutional order of the country and to undermine the work of the government to restore peace and reconciliation.
As A.M. Costa Rica reported on July 12, Nicaraguan reporter Lucia Pineda Ubau won a Courage in Journalism Award. She was arrested and tortured.
The award came from the International Women's Media Foundation. Pineda has both Nicaraguan and Costa Rican nationality,
Pineda is news director of the Nicaraguan channel 100% Noticias. She was arrested in Nicaragua in December for “inciting hate and violence” after her news outlet reported on abuses by government forces. She was released in June but suffers from medical issues resulting from the detainment, the organization said. Today she notes that “everything I’ve done has been for the love of my country.”
“Sexual harassment, threats, attacks, government oppression, a stubborn glass ceiling, unequal pay, accusations of fake news and a growing mistrust of the media, all threaten press freedom around the world,” said the foundation in its announcement. “And female journalists often feel the greatest brunt of these attacks. In fact, the number of female journalists killed in 2017 more than tripled from the year before.”
The Courage in Journalism Awards honors journalists who report on taboo topics, work in environments hostile to women, and share difficult truths, the foundation said.
Pineda was released from a Nicaraguan prison along with Miguel Mora, director of the Nicaraguan television channel and website 100% Noticias.
The authorities of the penitentiary system in Nicaragua took them to their respective homes as part of the amnesty law that the National Assembly approved in June.
The law guarantees the freedom of all those who are considered political prisoners by the opposition and terrorists by the government.
The amnesty law exempts them from any criminal liability.
On the experience of being imprisoned for six months, journalist Pineda said that she was interviewed 30 times by the authorities. She described the interviews as "a lot of harassment."
She said that the Nicaraguan authorities criminalize the work of journalists.
The hardest thing in jail was the isolation, said Pineda, as quoted by the foundation. "Not having anyone to talk to. I spoke with God through prayer. "
Pineda called on the government of Nicaragua to respect the right of journalists to inform and the right of people of Nicaragua to express themselves. "That he respects the constitution," she said of Ortega.
The United Nations' top human rights official and local opposition groups have blasted legislation as a way to grant impunity to those who committed abuses during the violent crackdowns.
Lisa Schlein is a journalist on international issues for Voice of America, more of her reports can be reached here*
--------------------
Is the government of Nicaragua one step
away from becoming the next Venezuela? We would like to know your
thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
|
|
