In addition, the reforms strengthen executive control over the military and police. providing a repressive apparatus it violates fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, protest and association.

In particular, it facilitates the use of military forces in ambiguous terms such as “stability of the Republic” for suppress the opposition. Likewise, the Voluntary Police, an auxiliary body of citizen volunteers whose actions have been linked to repressive actions since protests began in 2018, has become official. These measures reinforce an atmosphere of militarization and social control, increasing the regime’s ability to stifle any dissent.

Other troubling aspects of the reforms include a reduction in the composition and changes in the functions of the Supreme Court, further compromising its independence. The reforms also expand the executive branch’s power to arbitrarily strip Nicaraguans of their citizenship while simultaneously confiscating their property. This practice was used as a tool of political persecution.

The IACHR stated that these changes are contrary to the fundamental principles of the rule of lawrepresentative democracy and separation of powers established by the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Reforms formalize absolute concentration of power in the hands of the executive branch. A process widely documented by the IACHR in its report “Concentration of Power and the Weakening of the Rule of Law,” in which it was identified destruction of democratic principles and the subjugation of all government institutions following the 2018 human rights crisis.

The IACHR recalls that the relationship between human rights, the rule of law and democracy is enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which states that “the people of America have the right to democracy, and their governments have an obligation to promote and protect it. ” Representative democracy is the basis of the rule of law and represents a critical element in the political, social and economic development of countries in the region.

In this context, the IACHR urgently calls on the international community to redouble its efforts to promote the restoration of democracy in Nicaragua. Likewise, it urges that coordinated and effective measures be taken to protect the fundamental rights of the Nicaraguan people and to defend democratic principles in the region.

*Source: IACHR.