Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights Gross Human Rights Violations in the Context of Social Protests in Nicaragua, published on 21 June 2018; how many people they estimate to have been killed, wounded, or detained by the Nicaraguan authorities since the start of the Ortega regime; and what assessment they have made of reports of (1) medical staff being removed from their posts for providing medical help to injured protestors, (2) disappeared journalists, and (3) disbanded non-governmental organisations in that country.

The UK remains deeply concerned about human rights protections in Nicaragua and continues to support the work of the UN and OAS; the latest IACHR report confirms 325 deaths to date, including 24 minors. The UK condemns the recent crackdown on civil society and human rights organisations, including the stripping of the legal standing of the latter organisations. We are deeply concerned by the repression of independent press, including the continued targeting of journalists and media outlets; the Foreign Secretary tweeted about press freedom in Nicaragua on 22 January. We welcome the MEPs visit to Nicaragua between 23-26 January and support their recommendations calling for the restoration of dialogue, release of political prisoners and need for electoral reforms. The EU condemned the Government's repression and expressed support for regional efforts to ensure accountability for human rights violations in a statement on 21 January.