HRC57: Oral statement during the interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the situation in Nicaragua

Item 2: Interactive dialogue on thereport of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker:Claire Denman

Thank you, Mr President,

CSW thanks the High Commissioner for this timely report on Nicaragua. The situation continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate.

We share the High Commissioner’s concern regarding the arbitrary cancellation of the legal status of civil society organisations across the country, a significant portion of which are of a religious nature.

On 19 August the government announced the cancellation of 1500 organisations, approximately one third of which were affiliated with Roman Catholic or Protestant churches.

A further 92 religious organisations were among 169 organisations that had their legal status cancelled on 29 August, including two of the most historic Protestant denominations in the country: the Episcopal Church of Nicaragua and the Moravian Church of Nicaragua.

Many of these organisations operated schools, hospitals and other institutions which served thousands and formed a key part of the social fabric and culture of their locales.

The cancellations followed the arbitrary detentions of 11 religious leaders from the Roman Catholic Church in northern Nicaragua from 26 July to 3 August; seven of whom have since been exiled to Rome. On August 10 and 11 two more priests were detained and subsequently exiled on 17 August.

These men join hundreds of others who have been arbitrarily detained and sent into exile as part of the Nicaraguan government’s mission to eradicate all independent voices. On 5 September, 135 political prisoners were released and exiled to Guatemala. The government of Nicaragua did not notify their families or allow them to say goodbye. Among them were human rights defenders and religious leaders.

We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Nicaragua, for the restoration of citizenship to all those from whom it has been arbitrarily removed, and for the reinstatement of the legal status of all civil society organisations which have been arbitrarily made illegal by a government interested only in its own survival.

Thank you.