Nicaragua withdraws from UN Human Rights Council

Nicaragua took the decision following a UN report that urged the international community to address human rights violations by President Daniel Ortega's government

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo greet supporters during an event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the taking of the national palace by Sandinistas guerrilla in 1978, in Managua, Nicaragua August 22, 2018. Reuters

Nicaragua announced on Thursday it would withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, following a UN report that urged the international community to address human rights violations by President Daniel Ortega's government.

Vice President and first lady, Rosario Murillo, called the decision "sovereign and irrevocable," stating Nicaragua would cease participation in all activities related to the Human Rights Council and its "satellite mechanisms."

The UN report, released on Wednesday, accuses Ortega and Murillo, who also serves as co-president, of having "transformed the country into an authoritarian state where no independent institutions remain."

The UN experts urged legal action against Nicaragua, highlighting human rights abuses in the Latin American country, which they said follow patterns that have been previously established as crimes against humanity.

Ortega's government in the past has ignored reports from the UN and the Organization of American States, which it says are part of an international campaign against it.

Murillo dismissed the UN report as "falsehoods" and "slander."

Nicaragua experienced mass anti-government protests in 2018 when Ortega's crackdown on dissent resulted in the death of over 350 people and sparked an international outcry over rights abuses.

The UN report also implicated the Nicaraguan army in the violent crackdown, contradicting previous denials.