OAS Condemns Human Rights Violations in Nicaragua
Foreign ministers express their “deep concern” over the death of Brooklyn Rivera while in regime custody and the murder of opposition figure Roberto Samcam.
HAVANA TIMES — The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemned human rights violations in Nicaragua, including cases that could be considered crimes against humanity, and expressed its “deep concern” over the death of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera while in the custody of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Through the declaration Situation in Nicaragua—approved by consensus on June 23, 2026—the OAS foreign ministers lamented that the Nicaraguan regime ignored precautionary measures issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and provisional measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which had requested “information on the conditions of detention” and “protection of the life” of Brooklyn Rivera.
They also expressed concern over “reports of reprisals” against Rivera’s relatives and members of the Indigenous community. According to national human rights organizations, six relatives of the Indigenous leader traveled from Bilwi to Managua on May 31, 2026, to claim his body. The dictatorship rejected their request and imprisoned them.
The declaration states that the OAS “condemns the use of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, and urges the State of Nicaragua to immediately and unconditionally release all persons arbitrarily or unjustly detained, including all persons subjected to enforced disappearance or whose fate or whereabouts remain unknown.”
The statement goes on to condemn the “widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses” documented by the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, some of which could constitute crimes against humanity.
End Statelessness and Return Confiscated Property
For the first time, the OAS declaration included specific demands and actions concerning the end of statelessness, the restoration of stripped citizenships, the safe return of exiles, and the return of confiscated property.
In the document, the foreign ministers urged “the State of Nicaragua to cease measures that strip or deny citizenship to its nationals and to guarantee the safe return of Nicaraguans living abroad and in exile who wish to return to Nicaragua.”
They also called on the government to “ensure full respect for their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights to nationality, freedom of movement, and return to their own country without fear of reprisals, persecution, or arbitrary restrictions.”
The ministers further urged the Nicaraguan regime to “recognize and restore nationality and legal identity to all persons arbitrarily deprived of them, provide the documentation necessary for the effective exercise of their rights without impediments, and return or provide an effective remedy for property confiscated from persons stripped of their nationality, thereby ending situations of statelessness.”
The Murder of Roberto Samcam in Costa Rica
The OAS foreign ministers also acknowledged “the efforts undertaken by the authorities of Costa Rica to investigate the murder of a Nicaraguan citizen (Roberto Samcam), including the arrest and prosecution of several suspects, and reaffirm the importance of ensuring that all those responsible for planning and carrying out this crime are held accountable before the courts,” the declaration states.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar condemned the murder of retired Major Roberto Samcam, a Nicaraguan refugee in Costa Rica, which occurred on June 19, 2025.
“We highlight the actions of the Costa Rican national authorities, which have detained and prosecuted several suspects. Costa Rica will continue to act firmly to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice and that no form of violence or intimidation finds space in impunity,” the Costa Rican foreign minister stated.
Costa Rica’s Prosecutor’s Office charged five Costa Rican citizens suspected of being the direct perpetrators of Samcam’s murder. Four of the accused are currently in custody, including 21-year-old Luis Fernando Carvajal, alleged to be the gunman who carried out the shooting. Another defendant, Danilo Chaves Medina, is accused of serving as one of those acting as intermediaries in the criminal operation.
“Zero Tolerance for Totalitarian Regimes”
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called for respect for “fundamental freedoms for Nicaraguans” and declared that “there should be zero tolerance for totalitarian regimes in our hemisphere.”
The OAS declaration also called on the State of Nicaragua “to guarantee broad and effective political participation, laying the groundwork for future electoral processes in accordance with Inter-American standards.”
It was in November 2021, days after his self-reelection to a fifth term, that the Nicaraguan government announced its decision to denounce the OAS Charter, initiating Nicaragua’s formal withdrawal and resignation from the organization.
Nevertheless, the declaration left room for dialogue by calling on Nicaragua to return to the OAS, “reiterating the willingness of member states to facilitate such a process.”
Restoring Democracy in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela
In a separate but simultaneous declaration, the OAS General Secretariat expressed concern over the democratic situation in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela, and reiterated the need to restore democracy, ensure respect for human rights, and release all individuals detained for political reasons.
The Secretariat recalled that Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela are part of the Inter-American community and therefore recognized “with concern the need to restore democracy in these countries and ensure respect for shared Inter-American principles regarding democracy and human rights.”
The General Secretariat emphasized the urgency of having “fully functioning democratic systems that allow citizens to freely express their will and participate meaningfully in public life,” in line with the principles established in the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
It also expressed concern over the situation of political prisoners in the three countries and stated that the detention of individuals for political reasons is “incompatible with the principles and commitments of the Inter-American system.”
“There is no place in the Americas for political persecution or imprisonment based on opinions or dissent,” the General Secretariat declared, reiterating its call for the “unconditional release of all persons detained for political reasons, in accordance with fundamental human rights obligations.”
The General Secretariat stressed that sustainable democratic solutions must emerge from processes led by national actors themselves, with the participation of political, business, and civil society sectors, and with the support of the international community when needed.
First published in Spanish by Confidencial and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.