Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr Vice-President,
We thank the experts for their update.
New Zealand joins others in expressing our strongest concern at the ongoing violations of human rights in Nicaragua, including increasingly severe restrictions on free and democratic expression and political participation.
We are deeply concerned by arbitrary deprivation of nationality, the increase in political prisoners, instances of torture, sexual violence, and the repression of civil society, religious, ethnic minority, and Indigenous peoples. These instances of repression are taking place against the backdrop of concerning new laws that further limit fundamental freedoms.
We remain concerned by Nicaragua’s continued failure to respect its international human rights obligations, including its failure to engage with international bodies mandated to monitor human rights.
We urge Nicaragua to engage with the recommendations made by the group of experts in their most recent report.
We would welcome the views of the experts on how democratic opposition and human rights defenders can be protected from further persecution in Nicaragua.
Thank you, Mr Vice-President.