In a concerning revelation, a UN group of human rights experts on Nicaragua disclosed that the Nicaraguan government has ramped up efforts to suppress dissent beyond its borders. According to a [report](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/grhe-nicaragua/2025-09-23-ghren-transnational-violations-en.pdf) released Tuesday, the government under President Daniel Ortega is targeting exiled critics through legal persecution, denial of passport renewals, transnational surveillance, and intimidation tactics against their families.

Reed Brody, a member of the expert group, expressed the pervasive fear among the Nicaraguan diaspora. "A climate of fear has spread through the Nicaraguan diaspora, as no place in the world seems safe for those who oppose Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. An invisible hand follows exiles everywhere—denying passports, threatening them and their families, cutting them off from their homeland," Brody [stated](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/nicaragua-un-experts-warn-escalating-repression-reaching-beyond-borders?sub-site=HRC).

The experts condemned these actions as severe breaches of international human rights laws, and in certain instances, as crimes against humanity. They noted that from February 2023 to September 2024, at least 452 individuals were stripped of their Nicaraguan nationality, in violation of [Article 9](https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/TreatySeries_989_175.pdf) of the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which prohibits nationality deprivation on political, racial, ethnic, or religious grounds.

The report further documented instances of physical violence against Nicaraguans abroad, including the [murder](https://www.laprensani.com/2025/06/19/politica/3490273-asesinan-a-balazos-al-mayor-en-retiro-roberto-samcam-en-costa-rica) of retired army major Roberto Samcam in June 2025, and highlighted the misuse of Interpol red notices to harass critics. Previous actions by the Nicaraguan government include the expulsion of political prisoners who were also stripped of their nationality.

Ariela Peralta, another expert in the group, raised alarms over the resurgence of enforced disappearances. "The resurgence of enforced disappearances is one of the most alarming developments we have seen since the Group began its mandate. When people are detained in secret, tortured, and, in some cases, die under state custody, state responsibility is incurred under international law. This points to a deliberate policy of terror that must be confronted with urgency," Peralta emphasized.

Earlier, in April, the expert group had [identified](https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/04/un-experts-identify-54-officials-responsible-for-nicaragua-grave-human-rights-violations/) 54 Nicaraguan officials allegedly responsible for serious human rights violations. The consistent pattern of abuse and evasion of accountability underscores ongoing concerns about Nicaragua's governance under its current leadership, as well as its adherence to international human rights standards.

For further details, the full report by the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua can be accessed [here](https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/09/un-group-of-human-rights-experts-on-nicaragua-warn-of-escalation-in-transnational-repression/).