Nicaragua – Race and Equality

02Jul 2020 by admin No Comments

High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet: “the health crisis caused by COVID-19 has led to greater restrictions on civic and democratic space” in Nicaragua

Geneva, July 2nd, 2020. The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has led to greater restrictions on civic and democratic space in Nicaragua, according to an oral update given by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet during the 44th period of sessions of the Human Rights Council. “The official discourse stigmatizes people who criticize the State response or disseminate information contradicting official sources (...) There is also little transparency and lack of clarity in public information on cases. Although the Government has indicated that it has been working to strengthen public health and community health, visiting house to house to detect cases, some government measures do not comply with the recommendations of the WHO, PAHO and the Nicaraguan medical community, especially regarding physical distancing”, said the High Commissioner.…

19Jun 2020 by admin No Comments

Human Rights Council will strengthen its monitoring of the situation in Nicaragua

English, Nicaragua, UN

Geneva, June 19th, 2020. The UN Human Rights Council approved today a new resolution on Nicaragua that renews its mandate until March 2021 and strengthens the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’s mandate to monitor the situation of serious human rights violations and to report on its findings at the 44th, 45th and 46th period of sessions of the Council. The resolution “Promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua (A/HRC/43/L.35)”, which renews the resolution approved in March 2019 (A/HRC/40/L.8), allows the OHCHR to report on the situation in Nicaragua so that the member states of the Council can discuss new alternatives for solving the crisis and push for compliance with the recommendations given to the Nicaraguan State. Passage of the resolution was led by Canada, Costa Rica,…

12Jun 2020 by admin No Comments

Statement on the Occasion of the Resolution to be Voted on by the UN Human Rights Council: “Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in Nicaragua”

English, Nicaragua, ONU, UN

June 12, 2020 – We, the undersigned civil society organizations, wish to express our alarm to the UN Human Rights Council regarding the continuing repression in Nicaragua, rapid deterioration of the situation due to the spread of COVID-19, absence of a response from the State, and reluctance of the State to respond to the calls made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in compliance with the Resolution “Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in Nicaragua” (A/HRC/40/L.8). In light of the foregoing, a new Resolution (A/HRC/43/L.35) was proposed during the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council, a session that was suspended due to the situation posed by COVID-19 and is set to resume on June 14 with a vote on said proposal scheduled as one of the points…

17May 2020 by admin No Comments

No more silence: Reclaiming our voice on the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, English, LGBTI, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Race and Equality

Washington D.C., May 17. This May 17 marks 30 years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder, a global milestone that accelerated progress in the recognition of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI). On this date, we commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a day to draw attention to the violence and discrimination that LGBTI people still suffer in our societies. This year the promoted theme is “breaking the silence,” inviting people from the LGBTI community to no longer be afraid to express their sexual orientation or gender identity to their family or to others in their social circles. The commemoration this year is also framed within a global health crisis generated by COVID-19, which has…

08May 2020 by admin No Comments

Race and Equality launches practical guide for requesting precautionary measures at the IACHR

Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, English, IACHR, LGBTI, Mexico, Nicaragua, OAS, Panama

Washington, DC. May 8, 2020. The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) has released “Precautionary Measures at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Function and Process,” a manual to assist activists and human rights defenders with the process of soliciting precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). “This educational tool can provide support to civil society organizations who face the risk of serious human rights violations when they prepare requests,” remarked Carlos Quesada, Race and Equality’s Executive Director. The guide consists of two documents: one aimed at attorneys and legal experts, and an illustrated guide that follows four characters through the process of requesting and receiving precautionary measures, designed to explain the steps of the process to grassroots activists. “We assembled this…