May 17: LGBTIphobia also manifests itself in violence, censorship, and exclusion

May 17: LGBTIphobia also manifests itself in violence, censorship, and exclusion

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2026.—Every May 17, the International Day Against LGBTI-phobia serves as a reminder that millions of people around the world continue to face violence, discrimination, and exclusion because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, although some countries have made significant legal progress in recognizing rights, the reality remains marked by hate crimes, stigmatizing rhetoric, social exclusion, persecution of activists, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

On the occasion of the International Day Against LGBTIphobia, the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) wishes to remind everyone that LGBTIphobia manifests itself not only through physical attacks but also through censorship, silencing, criminalization, lack of access to rights, and the inability to live freely and with dignity.

As we commemorate this day, we recognize that defending the rights of LGBTI+ people continues to be a defense of democracy, freedom, and human rights for all of society. Below, we share a brief overview of the human rights situation of this population in countries where Race and Equality advocates and works alongside partners.

Brazil: Legal Progress Amid High Levels of Violence

In Brazil, the situation of LGBTI+ people is marked by profound contradictions. Although the country has made significant progress—such as the recognition of same-sex marriage since 2013 and the right of transgender people to change their name and gender marker on identity documents without the need for surgery or court orders—thousands of people continue to face violence, discrimination, and exclusion.

Transgender people are the primary targets of these types of attacks, as evidenced by the fact that Brazil has recorded the highest number of murders of transgender people every year for the past 18 years, according to the Transgender Murder Monitor (TMM) of Transgender Europe and Central Asia (TGEU).

Added to this are the hate speech and political polarization of recent years, which have contributed to legitimizing attacks against LGBTI+ people and those who defend human rights.

Hate speech directed at women in political office in Brazil is rife with racist and transphobic remarks aimed at undermining their political participation, as in the case of Federal Deputy Erika Hilton, who was the target of transphobic remarks after being elected chair of the Committee on the Defense of Women’s Rights. Following her appointment, public statements were made questioning her gender identity and seeking to delegitimize her role in an institutional body dedicated to promoting women’s rights.

Recently, the actions of a representative came to light who, during a plenary session of the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly, performed a “blackface” act while delivering a speech opposing the rights of transgender women—an act that was widely criticized by human rights organizations and sectors of civil society.

Meanwhile, a study by the Marielle Franco Institute highlighted the severity of digital political violence directed specifically against Black women and LGBTQIA+ individuals; according to the study, 71% of the recorded threats involved references to death or rape, while 63% of the death threats made direct mention of Marielle Franco’s murder.

Cuba: Diversity Under Surveillance and Repression

In Cuba, the situation of LGBTI+ people cannot be analyzed without considering that seven years ago, on May 11, 2019, the historic 11M took place: an independent march against homophobia and transphobia that ended with arbitrary detentions, surveillance, and persecution of activists. That day marked a turning point for LGBTI+ activism on the island and highlighted the limits imposed by the state on free expression, peaceful protest, and independent organization.

Many of the people who participated in that demonstration have since faced harassment, criminalization, and even forced exile.

Although there have been some legal advances in recent years—such as the recognition of same-sex marriage and other family rights through the new Family Code—the reality for many LGBTI+ people continues to be marked by a lack of fundamental freedoms and guarantees.

The current economic, social, and political crisis on the island has deepened inequalities, precariousness, and vulnerability among broad sectors of the population, including activists, transgender people, and human rights defenders.

Against this backdrop, thousands of people have emigrated in search of decent living conditions, freedom, and security. LGBTI+ people are no strangers to this reality: many have been forced to leave the country after suffering persecution, censorship, or a lack of opportunities. Both from exile and from within Cuba, activists and organizations continue to denounce human rights violations and demand a society where diversity is not punished.

Colombia: Persistent Violence and Barriers to Living with Dignity

In Colombia, LGBTI+ people continue to face high levels of violence, discrimination, and exclusion, in a context marked by historical inequalities and the persistent impact of armed conflict and territorial violence.

Trans people, social leaders, and human rights defenders remain particularly vulnerable to threats, attacks, and hate crimes. The report “The Impacts of Violence on the Human Rights Situation in Colombia,” presented by the IACHR in December 2025, notes that between 2016 and September 2024, the Attorney General’s Office reported at least 33 murders of LGBTI+ individuals in social leadership roles, while in 2023 alone, civil society documented at least 13 cases.

On May 7 and 8, the organization Caribe Afirmativo reported the murders of two transgender women in Antioquia, bringing the total number of LGBTI+ murders recorded by its Human Rights Observatory to 29.

Amid this situation, civil society organizations are campaigning for the passage of the Comprehensive Trans Bill, also known as the “Sara Millerey Law,” in memory of the human rights defender and trans activist murdered in April 2025. This law seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework that specifically regulates the rights of transgender people, from a perspective of intersectionality, a differential approach, and progressive rights.

In addition to physical violence, LGBTI+ people face stigmatizing rhetoric and disinformation campaigns that seek to discredit their rights and undermine the progress achieved through years of struggle and social mobilization.

Nicaragua: Fear, Exile, and the Shrinking of Civic Space

In Nicaragua, the situation facing LGBTI+ people cannot be separated from the broader context of repression, the shrinking of civic space, and the persecution of critical voices and civil society organizations.

In recent years, the criminalization of activists, forced exile, the dissolution of organizations, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms have profoundly impacted those who defend human rights and support LGBTI+ people.

Although discrimination and violence against LGBTI+ people have historically been overlooked, the current repressive climate has heightened fear, censorship, and the lack of safe spaces to report abuses, organize collectively, or raise awareness of issues related to equality and diversity.

Many LGBTI+ people, activists, and human rights defenders have been forced to leave the country due to the risk of persecution, surveillance, or reprisals. From exile and through resistance within Nicaragua, they continue to denounce human rights violations and defend the right to live free from discrimination and violence.

Defending Rights Also Means Resisting

On the International Day Against LGBTIphobia, acknowledging the situation of LGBTI+ people in Latin America and the Caribbean also means recognizing that discrimination does not occur in isolation. Violence, censorship, persecution, and exclusion tend to intensify in contexts where democracy, freedom of expression, and civic space are also weakened.

Although there are legal frameworks and court rulings that recognize the fundamental rights of LGBTI+ people, everyday reality shows that effective access to equality and a life free from violence remains an unfulfilled promise.

Many people continue to live under threat, especially in outlying areas and historically marginalized communities.

At Race and Equality, we recognize the work of activists, organizations, and communities that, despite such adverse conditions, continue to resist, denounce human rights violations, and create spaces for support, remembrance, and dignity.

Eight years after the beginning of the crisis in Nicaragua: a reality that persists and demands sustained action

Washington, D.C., April 17, 2026.– Eight years after the beginning of the human rights crisis in Nicaragua, from the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) we reiterate that this is not a memory that can erase time: it is a reality that has been transformed, deepened and that continues to affect the lives of thousands of people inside and outside the country.

Since April 2018, the country has gone through a sustained process of repression that has evolved over time. What began as a violent response to social protests has been consolidated into a system of control that restricts fundamental freedoms, punishes dissent and has completely closed civic space.

At Race and Equality we have been following this crisis since its inception, carrying out documentation actions aimed at strategic litigation before the Inter-American and Universal Human Rights Systems, as well as advocacy before diplomatic delegations and international human rights mechanisms. And today, we ask ourselves: What do these eight years mean?

They mean eight years of political persecution and continuous repression, in which visible violence has been replaced by more sophisticated mechanisms of surveillance and control. Eight years of imposed silence, where exercising freedom of expression implies real risks of criminalization and imprisonment. Eight years of exile and forced exile, which have fractured entire families and communities. Eight years of impunity, in which the victims of serious human rights violations continue to wait for truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition.

In this period, the political persecution of the dictatorship has expanded beyond Nicaragua’s borders, affecting human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in exile through acts of transnational repression. Added to this are the continuous attacks against Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants, restrictions on religious freedom and the systematic closure of civil society organizations and restrictions incompatible with freedom of association.

The situation in Nicaragua continues to be addressed in different international forums; however, the challenge remains to sustain attention and response commensurate with the severity and prolongation of the crisis. The risk, in this context, is that its continuity will contribute to a dangerous normalization if efforts to ensure accountability to a regime that has committed – and continues to commit – crimes against humanity against its own people are not consolidated.

We believe that despite these challenges, the persistence of Nicaraguan civil society, inside and outside the country, as well as the sustained work of international human rights mechanisms, demonstrate that this crisis continues to be documented, denounced and accompanied. These efforts are critical and must continue.

In this context, Race and Equality makes an urgent call to the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations, as well as other actors in the international community, to maintain and strengthen attention on Nicaragua and to adopt concrete and sustained actions that contribute to accountability.  in application of the collective guarantee of human rights, ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

In particular, we urge:

  • Promote firm resolutions within the framework of the OAS that recognize the persistence of serious human rights violations and demand concrete actions from the Nicaraguan State.
  • Strengthen and support international monitoring and investigation mechanisms, including the work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and other independent mechanisms, guaranteeing the necessary resources for their continuity.
  • Adopt measures of diplomatic pressure and targeted individual sanctions, targeting those responsible for serious human rights violations, in accordance with international law.
  • Strengthen the protection of Nicaraguans in exile, including guarantees of non-refoulement, access to specific international protection mechanisms, and recognition of their status at risk.
  • Advance actions of international accountability, including the referral of Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice for violations of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and the Convention against Torture.
  • Maintain Nicaragua as a priority on the international agenda, avoiding its displacement by other global crises that also require attention.
  • Recognize, investigate, prosecute, and punish acts of transnational repression committed against Nicaraguans in exile, guaranteeing their protection and effective access to justice.

We also urge international human rights protection mechanisms to maintain and strengthen active monitoring of the situation, as well as to continue creating spaces that make the voices of victims and Nicaraguan civil society visible.

Eight years after the beginning of the crisis, Nicaragua cannot be treated as just another case. The persistence of grave and systematic violations requires proportionate, coordinated and effective responses on the part of the international community.

On this anniversary we remember all the victims of repression, we denounce that the crisis continues and we express our firm conviction that sustained actions can make a difference.

Eight years later, silence is not an option. Because the prolonged crisis that Nicaragua is experiencing and a sector of the population persecuted locally and even beyond its borders continues to claim victims, and therefore, it must be confronted with decisive and sustained actions that lead Nicaragua to regain its freedom.

The Struggle for Racial Equality in Light of International Mechanisms: Race and Equality and Its Commitment to People of African Descent, Indigenous Peoples, and the Roma

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026.—On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) reaffirms its commitment to combating structural racism and building more just, inclusive, and equitable societies in the Americas.

At Race and Equality, we work in close collaboration with individuals, communities, and peoples of African descent, Indigenous peoples, and the Roma, who continue to face historical and contemporary forms of discrimination that not only limit their ability to exercise their rights but also directly impact their living conditions, their access to opportunities, and their participation in society.

Far from being mere declarations, international human rights instruments establish specific obligations for states: to ensure substantive equality, eliminate discriminatory practices, recognize identities and cultures, and adopt specific measures to close historical gaps. In practice, however, these guarantees have not yet fully translated into structural changes.

At the international level, progress in recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples and people of African descent has been essential to bringing these inequalities to light. Instruments such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples not only recognize collective rights but also require states to respect self-determination, protect territories, and ensure effective participation in decisions that affect their lives.

Similarly, the process leading to a future United Nations Declaration on the rights of individuals, communities, and peoples of African descent represents a historic opportunity to establish standards that compel States to address the structural racism inherited from colonialism and slavery. This entails, for example, adopting public policies that guarantee equitable access to education, health care, employment, and justice, as well as recognizing and redressing the historical impacts of racial discrimination.

Nevertheless, Roma communities continue to face significant gaps in recognition within the international system, which results in their persistent invisibility in the Americas. This lack of recognition limits the adoption of specific public policies and perpetuates barriers to accessing basic rights.

Within the inter-American system, instruments such as the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance (CIRDI) reinforce these obligations by establishing that States must not only prohibit discrimination but also prevent, punish, and eradicate it through concrete actions. This includes collecting disaggregated data, recognizing affected communities, and designing public policies with their participation.

A recent example of these structural injustices was evident at the historic first hearing on the Roma people before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, held on March 9, 2026, and supported by Race and Equality. In this forum, Roma activists denounced how invisibility, structural racism, and the lack of state recognition continue to result in exclusion from the education system, barriers to accessing health services, and obstacles to accessing justice.

Such forums not only bring these issues to light but also reaffirm that states must move from formal recognition to effective action.

In the face of these challenges, at Race and Equality we reaffirm our commitment to:

  • Strengthening the effective participation of individuals, communities, and peoples of African descent, Indigenous peoples, and Roma in decision-making, both at the national level and in international forums.
  • Promote processes of memory, truth, justice, and reparations in the face of the legacies of colonialism, slavery, and structural racism.
  • Highlight and document persistent inequalities, supporting organizations and activists in the defense of their rights.
  • Incorporate an intersectional approach into all our actions, recognizing the multiple forms of discrimination faced by these populations.
  • Promote the ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance (CIRDI), recognizing that this instrument provides concrete tools for States to adopt regulatory frameworks in this regard.

On this March 21, we call on governments, international organizations, and civil society to redouble their efforts to eradicate racism in all its forms. Equality cannot remain a mere promise: it must be translated into policies, resources, and concrete actions that guarantee dignity and justice for all people.

Cuba’s independent civil society, ready for a democratic transition

For more than a decade, we have been fortunate to work with Cuba’s independent civil society. We have seen their commitment to human rights, their dedication to documenting the violations that happen in the country, and their courage in exposing them. We have witnessed—through urgent messages and calls that lead to reactions by our legal team—arbitrary detentions, summary trials, surveillance, harassment, raids, forced exile, and, more recently, blackouts and food and medicine shortages. We have also faced our own negative impacts from this work – personal and institutional attacks, as well as skepticism on the part of former allies who have questioned our human rights work in general because of our work exposing the Cuban reality.

As a capacity building organization, we have trained independent activists on and off the Island on civil society engagement with human rights protection mechanisms. Through systematic documentation of human rights violations – analyzed according to the international legal standards to which the Cuban State has adhered – we have supported them to denounce cases of torture, enforced disappearance, censorship, and discrimination before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and United Nations Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures. By advocating for Cuba’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, our partners have been laying the groundwork for democratic transition for years. Their work is not merely opposition; it is preparatory governance.

While Washington and Havana negotiate the future of the island nation, the work, dedication, and perseverance of independent activists, journalists, and artists on the Island and in exile to fight for human rights and promote democratic ideals should not go unrecognized. They are the ones who have been collecting and sharing the evidence of the Cuban regime’s atrocities and this documentation should serve as a key element of any future government transition. While the Cuban government has maintained a monolithic façade, a diverse and resilient independent civil society has been quietly building the architecture of a free society from the ground up. The future of Cuba cannot happen without them.

The international community has recognized that in any transitional justice process, five elements must be considered: truth, justice, memory, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition. It is not possible to achieve any of these without records of what has occurred during the undemocratic era and Cuban human rights defenders have been preparing already, as independent journalists break the state monopoly on information (truth); independent lawyers file habeas petitions before Cuban courts and cases before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (justice); activists document patterns of abuses committed by State actors (memory); community groups provide aid where the State fails (reparation); and organizations like ours provide the tools to foster civic dialogue and democratic norms (non-repetition).

The most profound preparation lies in the commitment to the historical record. By creating databases of human rights violations and preserving the testimony of victims, independent groups are preventing the “erasure” that often follows authoritarian regimes. They understand that you cannot have justice without a record of the crime, and you cannot guarantee non-repetition if the history of the past is allowed to vanish into state archives. This is not just protest; it is the fundamental administrative labor required to restore the rule of law.

The international community must stop viewing Cuba as a passive recipient of history. The groundwork for a democratic transition—the human capital, the legal theories, and the civic courage—is already in place. The transition will not be a gift from the top down; it will be the formal recognition of a reality that independent civil society has been living for decades. Cubans are not waiting for democracy to be handed to them; they have been building it, brick by brick, in the face of immense adversity. It is time the world starts paying attention to the foundation they have laid.

Statement written by:

Carlos Quesada, Executive Director

Christina M. Fetterhoff, Director of Programs

  • Learn more about our work in Cuba over more than a decade here.



Three years since the release and exile of 222 Nicaraguans: memory, dignity, and justice pending

Washington, D.C February 9, 2026.– This February 9 marks three years since the release of 222 Nicaraguans who were arbitrarily deprived of their liberty for political reasons and who, after their release from prison, were forced into exile by the Ortega-Murillo regime. Their arrival in Washington, D.C., was made possible thanks to diplomatic and humanitarian efforts by the United States government, which facilitated their reception under conditions of protection.

Race and Equality was invited by the US State Department to provide technical support for this process, alongside civil society organizations and government institutions, offering immediate assistance to ensure dignified reception conditions, including accommodation, clothing, telephones, psychosocial support, and basic resources for their first days in the country.

Our team was able to witness first hand the serious physical, psychological and social impacts of political imprisonment, resulting from conditions of detention that included prolonged solitary confinement, cruel treatment, torture, and deprivation incompatible with human dignity. The documentation of these events helped to highlight patterns of repression that were later included in the Race and Equality report Patterns of Repression and Political Persecution in Nicaragua: From Prison to Freedom after Operation Guardabarranco.

Their release from prison did not mean justice. The regime not only expelled these 222 people from their country, but also arbitrarily stripped them of their nationality and legal existence in Nicaragua, constituting elements of crimes against humanity, as pointed out by the Group of Experts on Human Rights in Nicaragua. In their host countries, many of these people continue to face challenges related to their immigration status, access to employment, health care, family reunification, and integration, compounded by the risk of transnational repression.

Three years later, impunity persists. The serious human rights violations committed against these 222 people remain uninvestigated and unpunished, even though many of them have been granted provisional measures by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which the State of Nicaragua has failed to comply with.

At the same time, the human rights crisis in Nicaragua continues to deepen. Almost eight years after the repression of April 2018, persecution, surveillance, and arbitrary detentions persist. The regime has attempted to cover up this pattern through releases from prison under restrictive conditions, threats, and controls that do not amount to freedom, but rather reproduce mechanisms of intimidation and punishment.

Remembering this anniversary also means recognizing that the release of these 222 people was not a gesture, but the result of international pressure and coordination. Solidarity and coordinated action can save lives, but the repression is not over.

In this context, Race and Equality calls on host countries to continue facilitating the full reintegration and protection of victims of arbitrary imprisonment for political reasons in Nicaragua, as well as to maintain international vigilance in the face of ongoing crimes.

We reiterate our commitment to the victims of arbitrary imprisonment, denationalization, and all forms of repression in Nicaragua. We will continue to document, litigate, and advocate so that those responsible are held accountable and victims have access to truth, justice, and reparation.

We will continue working so that one day, not too far in the future, the political imprisonment and denationalization implemented by the Ortega-Murillo regime and its accomplices will be a bad memory of a dictatorship that, like all dictatorships, will come to an end due to the Nicaraguan people’s desire for freedom.

The release of 222 people was one step. Justice for all victims remains a pending debt.

Nicaragua: No Release Measure Will Be Enough as Long as the Ortega-Murillo Regime Keeps Its Repressive Structure Intact

Washington, D.C., December 3, 2025.– The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) expresses its satisfaction to learn that recently, the Ortega-Murillo regime has released people who were arbitrarily deprived of their liberty for political reasons. After months of unjust imprisonment, inhumane conditions, ill-treatment and isolation, we are comforted to know that these people will be able to reunite with their families and have better conditions for their care and attention.

So far, the authorities have not issued an official statement on these releases, but independent media and civil society organizations indicate that at least 12 people – including seven women – were released between Saturday, November 29 and Monday, December 1. In addition, at the beginning of the month, the release of three other people was announced.

According to this information, the releases have been registered as follows: on November 8, Leo Catalino Cárcamo Herrera, Julio Antonio Quintana Carvajal and Fabio Alberto Cáceres Larios, all older adults, were released. Subsequently, on November 29, it was learned about the release of at least eight people, including Carmen Sáenz, Lesbia Gutiérrez, Evelyn Guillén, Alejandro Hurtado Díaz, Eliseo Castro Baltodano, Evelyn Matus Hernández, Valmore Valladares and Mauricio Chavarría. Finally, on Monday, December 1, the release of Yolanda González Escobar, Carlos Vanegas, Luis Francisco Ortiz Calero and Octavio Enrique Caldera was reported.

According to the information available, as on other occasions, no indigenous leader has been released.

It should be noted that as of October 29, 2025, the Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners put the list of people deprived of liberty for political reasons at 77. We regret the regime’s lack of transparency since it does not report on arrests or on releases or changes in measures, which is due to its strategy to try to evade international scrutiny and responsibilities for the crimes committed.

We Demand Real Freedom

From Race and Equality we warn that these releases do not mean real freedom. The deprivation of liberty for political reasons in Nicaragua is not limited to being inside a physical prison: the repressive pattern of the regime can impose measures that continue to restrict fundamental rights, including: house arrest, constant surveillance, the obligation to report daily, threats, police harassment and the impossibility of exercising civil and political rights. The closure of civic space makes it impossible to freely exercise freedom of expression due to the certainty that reprisals will be taken. These practices constitute widespread forms of repression and social control that keep victims in a permanent state of risk and persecution.

We urgently call on the Nicaraguan State to immediately release all people arbitrarily detained for political reasons and to cease all forms of criminalization, harassment and reprisals against opponents, human rights defenders, journalists, territorial leaders and critical voices. We also urge the international community to continue to closely monitor the situation and to redouble efforts to demand the full, unconditional and guaranteed release of all persons deprived of liberty for political reasons in the country and for those who continue to be in a situation of enforced disappearance.

Race and Equality reaffirms its commitment to the victims, their families, and civil society organizations that continue to document and denounce human rights violations in Nicaragua, and reiterates that no measure of release will be sufficient as long as the regime maintains its repressive structure intact.

Race and Equality Condemns the Torture and Threats Against José Daniel Ferrer, Who Announced His Willingness To Go Into Forced Exile

Washington, D.C., October 7, 2025. – The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) expresses its concern over the announcement by Cuban activist José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), who stated that he is willing to accept forced exile as the only alternative to protect his life and that of his family, after years of torture, threats, and inhumane treatment suffered in prison and while on parole.

In a letter written from the Mar Verde Penitentiary and released on Friday, October 3, Ferrer denounced the serious human rights violations he has faced because of his activism. “For years I have been subjected to brutal beatings, torture, humiliation, death threats, and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by henchmen and other instruments of the worst dictatorship the American continent has ever known,” Ferrer wrote.

Race and Equality has repeatedly denounced the violence against José Daniel Ferrer and the conditions of his imprisonment before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The activist also reported threats against his wife and children, which have led him to consider forced exile as the only way to safeguard his integrity and that of his family. “I have reached the limit of what a human being can endure. If leaving the country is the only option to protect my loved ones, I am willing to accept it,” he added.

“Ferrer’s statements confirm the extreme level of persecution and cruelty faced by those who defend human rights in Cuba. His willingness to accept forced exile reflects the desperation of an activist who has been the victim of torture and systematic repression for years,” said Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of Race and Equality.

Ferrer, 55, is one of Cuba’s most renowned activists. He was one of the 75 prisoners of conscience convicted during the Black Spring of 2003 and, since then, has been subjected to repeated arrests, torture, and arbitrary judicial proceedings. He participated in the historic demonstrations on July 11, 2021, after which he was arbitrarily detained and, in January of this year, released on parole. However, on April 29, he was re-imprisoned in the Mar Verde prison.

The allegations made by the human rights defender reignite one of the most persistent repressive practices of the authoritarian Cuban regime: forced exile, a strategy that violates fundamental rights and that the authorities use to neutralize leaders, silence critical voices, and strip activists, artists, and journalists of their roots and family ties. This practice is in addition to other forms of repression—such as arbitrary judicial proceedings, harassment, censorship, and systematic persecution—whose objective is to limit or nullify the political and social participation of those who defend human rights in Cuba.

Over the past years, this strategy has affected various activists and journalists in Cuba, who have been forced to leave the country after years of repression, threats, and imprisonment. Recently, Cuban activist Aymara Nieto, also represented by Race and Equality before the IACHR, a member of the Ladies in White organization and UNPACU, left the island to settle in the Dominican Republic on August 11, 2025. Nieto, who had been imprisoned since 2018, was released on the condition imposed by State Security that she leave Cuba. “I was imprisoned until the very last moment I was at the airport. They were the ones who took me. They never let me go home,” said the human rights defender. She traveled accompanied by her husband, fellow activist Ismael Boris Reñí, and two of her daughters, after serving two consecutive sentences in a Havana prison.

At Race and Equality, we strongly condemn the torture, threats, and reprisals faced by José Daniel Ferrer, and we warn of the seriousness of his situation in prison. Ferrer’s case highlights the continuation of a pattern of repression that, in the last years, has forced numerous activists, defenders, and independent journalists in Cuba into exile. We urge the international community to redouble its efforts to demand his immediate release, as well as the protection of his family and all human rights defenders in Cuba and in exile.

We also urgently call on the United Nations, the IACHR, and the democratic governments of the region to intervene decisively to guarantee Ferrer’s physical and psychological integrity and to put an end to the persecution and forced exile of Cuban dissidents.

Race and Equality reports on the forced disappearances for women in Nicaragua and Cuba to the United Nations Committee

Washington, D.C., September 10, 2025.– The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) participated in the regional consultation of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) as part of its general comment on women, girls and enforced disappearances.

The objective of this CED initiative, which was held virtually on September 3, was to provide spaces for exchange with international organizations, civil society organizations, and interested people in the region to identify challenges, lessons, and specific and contextual recommendations that feed the content of the general comment.

In particular, the Committee was interested in receiving information on: a) addressing the gender and intersectional perspective; b) the differentiated impacts and the inequalities and specific circumstances of women and girls that affect the exercise of their rights; c) contexts that put women and girls at particular risk; d) the role of women as human rights defenders and peacebuilders and; e) the measures available to victims of enforced disappearance, including women searchers, to give effect to the rights enshrined in the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Race and Equality presented information on Nicaragua and Cuba

In the case of Nicaragua, Race and Equality reported on cases of women who were disappeared during some point of their arbitrary detention for political reasons, particularly highlighting the cases of some of the 11 women who are still missing today, after being deprived of their liberty, according to data from the Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua.

We share the cases of violations of their rights, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by women searchers, the violations of rights to which they may be subjected, and the differentiated inter-American standards that apply to them for their comprehensive protection and care.

As for Cuba, the Institute took the case of the women who are members of the organization Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) to the CED, providing information on how these women are deprived of liberty every Sunday when they try to attend mass, generally for periods of between 1 and 4 hours, but in some cases extending up to 72 hours, without leaving any type of record in official records.

This pattern, which corresponds to what the CED identified in its “Joint Declaration on the so-called short-term enforced disappearances as a form of enforced disappearance”, iscombined with a practice of sexualized treatment of these women that includes everything from insults based on their gender at the time of deprivation of liberty to particular threats and strategies that seek to generate fear in women at the time of their release, having a differentiated impact compared to the forced disappearances of men.

The Committee thanked Race and Equality for its interventions in making it aware of issues that had not been made visible in the framework of the regional consultation and for presenting novel approaches in the analyses carried out. It should be noted that the case of the Ladies in White was the only one that was presented with respect to Cuba, which shows the need to reinforce the tasks of making visible what is happening on the island.

At Race and Equality, we maintain a strong commitment in this regard and we will continue to advocate with mechanisms of the Universal System and the Inter-American Human Rights System to denounce the situation of forced disappearance in Latin America, especially in countries such as Cuba and Nicaragua, where this problem is determined and aggravated by authoritarian regimes.

Nicaragua: Raids Carried Out by the Ortega-Murillo Regime Reveal New Escalation of Repression

Washington, D.C., August 18, 2025. – The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) strongly condemns the recent police raids carried out by the Ortega-Murillo regime in the departments of Carazo, Granada, Masaya, and Rivas, which left at least 27 people detained between August 14 and 16.  as denounced and documented by the Blue and White Monitoring (MAB). Four of those people have reportedly been released and 23 remain arbitrarily detained for political reasons.
Most of those arrested are political releases, returned exiles, artists and opposition businessmen. The operations were marked by violent raids, looting, use of canine technique and night detentions, in a context marked by the recent confiscation of the San José School in Jinotepe, Carazo.
According to the MAB report, among those arrested in Carazo in this new offensive are the former political prisoner and returned exile Óscar Velásquez Sánchez, the painter Marvin Campos Chavarría, María José Rojas Arburola, daughter of the assassinated opponent Rodolfo Rojas; Chester Cortés, from the Cementerio neighborhood; tattoo artist Darwin Ayerdis – missing since his capture in July – as well as Mario Rodríguez Serrano and Halder López Luna, the latter arrested after voluntarily presenting himself to the police.
The arrests occurred days after co-dictator Rosario Murillo announced on August 12 the confiscation of the San José school, in Jinotepe, under the alleged argument that torture was carried out in that center during April 2018. The confiscated school was administered by the nuns of the Josephine congregation, which represents another step in the regime’s onslaught against the Catholic Church.
It is with deep concern that the regime does not abandon the pattern of arbitrary detentions for political reasons in order to keep the population afraid to express themselves.
“It is unacceptable that in Nicaragua the practice of detaining people and subjecting them to forced disappearance persists, leaving their families in absolute uncertainty and pain. No one should live in fear of never seeing their loved ones again. This is a very serious violation of human rights that must cease immediately,” said Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of Race and Equality.
We demand that the families of the affected people be informed of their whereabouts and that they be released immediately. We also demand that the repression against the Nicaraguan Church cease and that religious freedom and the properties and educational centers owned or administered by the Church be respected.

Murder of Roberto Samcam: An Abominable Crime that Sets Off Alarms about the Infiltration of Nicaraguan Military Intelligence in Costa Rica

Washington, D.C., June 20, 2025 – The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) strongly condemns the murder of retired Nicaraguan Army Major Roberto Samcam, which occurred early Thursday morning, June 19, in San José, Costa Rica. This crime shows that the risk to the integrity and life of people who oppose or are perceived as such by the dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo transcends borders, so this abominable act, added to other attacks that have been recorded, should turn on the alerts of the Costa Rican institutions to ensure justice.

Civil society organizations in exile, the Group of Experts on Human Rights in Nicaragua and other mechanisms for the protection of human rights have warned about transnational repression, pointing out the existence of persecution and reprisals applied outside Nicaraguan territory, which to date has manifested itself in attacks and murders such as the one we condemn today, as well as through the refusal to issue passports or to enter Nicaragua, leaving hundreds of Nicaraguans in a situation of de facto statelessness.

Race and Equality is deeply concerned about the presence of Nicaraguan military intelligence infiltrators in Costa Rica and their links to the assassinations and attacks against the opposition in the country, where they were forced to go into exile to save their lives and personal integrity.

“What we face today is not only a heinous crime, but a demonstration of the extent to which a regime can go when impunity is allowed to cross borders. As an international human rights organization, we are deeply concerned about the weakening of safe spaces for Nicaraguan exiles. Defending the lives and freedom of those fleeing persecution must be a priority for the international community,” said Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of Race and Equality.

We hope that the Costa Rican authorities will thoroughly investigate the murder of retired Major Roberto Samcam – who was a well-known critic of the dictatorial regime headed by Ortega and Murillo – and determine the material and intellectual authors of this crime.

We denounce that, in this way, the Nicaraguan dictatorship is attempting to silence the opposition, even beyond its borders. Critical speech is protected by international human rights instruments and deserves all necessary protection. The crime against Roberto Samcam, defender of democracy and human rights, must not go unpunished.

Finally, we urge the Costa Rican authorities to guarantee the safety of Nicaraguan opponents residing in the country, as well as an adequate environment for them to express themselves without fear of reprisals.

 

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