UN rights group says Nicaragua executed 40 people
A U.N. human rights groups said the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega executed at least 40 people and ordered hospitals not to treat demonstrators wounded in antigovernment protests
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A U.N. human rights groups said Thursday the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega executed at least 40 people and ordered hospitals not to treat demonstrators wounded in antigovernment protests.
The U.N. Human Rights Experts Group on Nicaragua said the abuses constituted “crimes against humanity.” Ortega jailed opponents and outlawed civic groups following the 2018 protests, which he claimed were part of a foreign-orchestrated plot to oust him.
The group’s presented its report in Geneva, Switzerland. The report also condemned Ortega’s government for stripping 222 opponents of their nationality, after they were loaded aboard a plane and flown to the United States last month.
Ortega's government engaged in “extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, torture, and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment,” according to the report. The Nicaraguan government has refused to recognize the group.
The report found that “between 70 and 80% of the deaths (of demonstrators) were caused by firearms, and the majority (of the wounds) were in vital areas” of protesters' bodies.
The report said those implicated in the killings include Ortega's Frente Sandinista party, its youth group, government employees, former members of the military and even street gang members recruited by people linked to high-ranking officials.
Police and doctors demanded that relatives sign documents renouncing their rights to an autopsy of the victims' bodies or to file criminal complaints in the deaths.