Nicaragua Under Repression: Human Rights, Accountability, and Exile

Nicaragua is facing one of the greatest human rights crises in the Western Hemisphere. Since 2018, mass protests against Co-President Daniel Ortega and his government have been met with a violent crackdown that has left hundreds dead and thousands detained or forced into exile. The Ortega government has since attempted to dismantle civil society and intimidate Nicaraguans both at home and abroad.

In response to the ongoing crisis, the UN Human Rights Council established the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) to investigate alleged violations and abuses committed in Nicaragua since April 2018. GHREN’s March 2026 report provides the most comprehensive assessment to date, finding evidence of systematic repression, including extraterritorial repression, and gross violations of human rights that may rise to the level of crimes against humanity.

This hybrid event, featuring Jan-Michael Simon, chair of the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, will unpack the report’s key findings and examine accountability, the international response, and the future of human rights in Nicaragua.

This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.