Nicaragua: Portrait of the institutional capture in the Americas

6 December 2021  14:00 - 15:30

Virtual Event | Organised by Center for Justice and International Law, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and Colectivo de Derechos Humanos Nicaragua Nunca Más; American Jewish World Service (AJWS) | Held in The Americas in English and Spanish
Contact details: grodriguez@cejill.org
Defending against authoritarianism
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Without guarantees for the exercise of political rights, Nicaragua’s autocratic regime is set to continue after the November 7 elections. Even with the international pressure of recent years, a scenario of systematic human rights violations and impunity for crimes against humanity committed by the state prevails in the country .

In the face of this, US diplomacy and foreign policy, still hegemonic in the region, has played an ambivalent role. On the one hand, the US government has been decisive in the resolutions adopted on Nicaragua in multilateral forums such as the Organisation of the American States and the United Nations Human Rights Council. On the other hand, domestic bureaucratic barriers, and the weight of the migration agenda in its approach to Central America have blurred its role in recent months.

While the Biden-Harris administration intends to reaffirm its commitment to democracy and human rights during the Democracy Summit, it is essential to make visible the margin of action that remains for the US to defend human rights and democracy in Nicaragua. This commitment should recognise the fundamental role of international human rights protection organisations and should be understood as an unequivocal message to the sub-region with the intention of reversing the authoritarian tendencies that prevail throughout Central America.

Presenters

  1. US Congressman Albio Sires – Chairman of the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration, and International Economic Policy To be confirmed.
  2. US Senator Bob Menendez – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee To be confirmed.
  3. Antonia Urrejola – President of the Inter-.American Comission on Human Rights, who will present the report “Concentración del poder y debilitamiento del Estado de Derecho en Nicaragua” on how the capture of political power in Nicaragua represents a playbook for autocratic forces in the region.
  4. Wendy Flores – Colectivo de Derechos Humanos Nicaragua Nunca Más
  5. Eric Olson – The Seattle Foundation
  6. Maureen Meyer – WOLA for concluding remarks
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