Former Heads of State of the IDEA Group Condemn Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Ortega-Murillo Dictatorship
The IDEA Group calls on States to exercise universal jurisdiction. Nicaragua is unable to conduct an impartial investigation.
The former Heads of State and Government who are members of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (IDEA Group) issued a declaration accusing the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo of committing crimes against humanity in Nicaragua and urging the international community to act in the face of what they describe as a complete lack of guarantees for an independent investigation.
The signatories expressed concern over the enforced disappearance and death in state custody of Brooklyn Rivera Bryan, an Indigenous leader and member of parliament representing the YATAMA party. They also denounced the subsequent disappearance of seven relatives and associates of the victim, who reportedly traveled to Managua to demand the return of his remains.
The former leaders of the IDEA Group maintain that these events are part of a broader pattern of serious human rights violations which, in their view, are systematic and widespread in nature.
In this context, they recalled that enforced disappearance has been recognized by international bodies as conduct that may constitute a crime against humanity when it forms part of a policy of persecution or repression.
They also cited precedents from Inter-American jurisprudence concerning Nicaragua and emphasized that such crimes give rise to individual criminal responsibility, regardless of the position held by the officials involved or whether the State concerned is a party to specific international treaties.
Given what they described as the absolute impossibility of Nicaraguan authorities conducting an impartial and independent investigation, IDEA members called on the democracies of the Americas and the international community to fulfill their collective protection obligations and consider the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction.
They reiterated that the seriousness of the allegations and the absence of effective domestic mechanisms for justice make it necessary for international bodies and competent courts to examine the facts and determine the corresponding responsibilities.
Source: Correo del Caroní
Author: Correo del Caroní
Picture: Grupo Idea