in one new report was released on Friday, three-person expert team – people appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council – found that authorities used physical and psychological violence, including threats, beatings, and prolonged solitary confinement, against both students and faculty.
Some of these cases may amount to torture and the majority involve students and professors who participated in widespread anti-Government protests in 2018 or who have publicly criticized the Government of President Daniel Ortega.
Experts note that universities in Nicaragua have long played a historical role as spaces for social change and protest, since the Sandinista Revolution of 1979.
As a result, “The Nicaraguan government has directly targeted universities as part of a widespread repression campaign, abolish their autonomy and turn them into centers of political control,” said Jan Simon, the group’s president, none of them received compensation for their work and none were UN employees.
Closure, eviction
From 2021 to 2024, at least 37 universities and higher education institutions – mostly known for supporting social movements – have had their legal status revoked under administrative sanctions.
Experts emphasize that this closure is part of a broader strategy to prevent organized opposition and limit academic freedom.
Furthermore, since the 2018 protests, it is estimated that Hundreds of students and professors have faced arbitrary expulsion or dismissal because of their political beliefs, but specific percentages are challenged by government censorship and data restrictions.
Government reform and university control
In 2022, the Government introduced reforms through Law 1114, which eliminated university autonomy, centralizing control of educational institutions.
Experts stress that this reform has effectively placed the government in charge of the finances, management and curriculum of academic institutions, weakening independent and free thought.
The report also found that at universities that have not yet closed, students and professors considered critical of the regime now face barriers in obtaining degrees or transcripts. This not only limits their learning process but also their future employment opportunities.
Call for international action
The group of experts calls on the international community to call on the State of Nicaragua to restore university autonomy and ensure security and freedom of expression in the academic field.
“The academic community deserves a safe and free space to express ideas and contribute to the country’s social development, and these rights must be urgently restored. With these actions, the Government is endangering the future of the country,” Mr. Simon emphasized.
