Nicaragua's Descent: A Nation Under Control

A damning United Nations report has shed light on the authoritarian control exerted by Nicaragua's co-Presidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. According to the report, the nation's legislative and judicial branches are now mere extensions of the executive, resulting in the erosion of basic human rights.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights compiled the report through more than 200 interviews with victims and witnesses. Although the Nicaraguan government did not respond to inquiries, the report paints a grim picture of the country's state, citing constitutional reforms and the misuse of legal frameworks.

Since a crackdown on protests in 2018, that left over 300 dead, Nicaragua has seen a significant decline in political freedom and civil society activities. UN experts have labeled the transformation into an authoritarian state as deliberate, with control over civil entities and suppression of political pluralism.

(With inputs from agencies.)