resolution motion, 10 February 2025
On the repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities in particular
Motion B-10-2025-0128 · (2025/2547(RSP))
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group · Rapporteur: Diana Riba i Giner, Catarina Vieira, Maria Ohisalo, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ville Niinistö
AI:In short
A resolution on repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities. It condemns the repression and constitutional reform, urges Nicaragua to review the reform, release political prisoners, and end persecution, and calls on the EU to increase support and hold authorities accountable.
Key points
- Expresses deep concern that the constitutional reform impacts guarantees of future free and fair elections; urges Nicaragua to review it to ensure rule of law and separation of powers.
- Condemns systematic repression against opposition, indigenous people, students, NGOs and religious leaders, and the use of criminal law to persecute opponents; calls on Nicaragua to cease politically motivated persecution, criminalization and arbitrary detention.
- Condemns provisions institutionalizing the state's power to strip citizenship for broadly defined treason and the arbitrary deprivation of nationality for at least 450 individuals; urges Nicaragua to ensure the right to nationality, prevent statelessness, and guarantee family reunification and documentation.
- Calls for the immediate release of the 45 remaining political prisoners.
- Supports the renewal of the Human Rights Council's Group of Experts on Nicaragua.
- Calls on Nicaragua to guarantee the life and integrity of human rights defenders; highlights the role of civil society, defenders, journalists and religious leaders; calls on the EU to increase support for those in the country and in exile.
- Is particularly worried by the impact of the US aid freeze on programs and NGOs in Nicaragua.
- Urges the EU to hold Nicaraguan authorities accountable, including through Universal Jurisdiction cases, and to explore international mechanisms for violations of the 1961 convention on statelessness and the 1984 convention against torture.
- Supports EU Delegations' efforts to closely monitor developments, including trial monitoring and visiting political prisoners.
Who is affected
- Nicaraguan authorities: urged to review the constitutional reform, release political prisoners, end persecution, and ensure rights.
- Human rights defenders, political opponents, religious communities, indigenous people, students, NGOs: targets of repression, called to be protected.
- Individuals deprived of nationality: at least 450 people, urged to have rights restored.
- EU and member states: called to increase support and hold Nicaraguan authorities accountable.
Figures and deadlines
Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Full text
Text 19 paragraphs
B100128/2025
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities in particular
(2025/2547(RSP))
The European Parliament,
–having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,
A.whereas the National Assembly approved a constitutional reform establishing a co-presidency, eliminating all guarantees of separation of powers and political pluralism, eliminating the right to strike, the explicit prohibition of torture and weakening essential procedural guarantees;
B.whereas the ongoing deterioration of fundamental rights takes place in a context of an increasingly repressive regulatory framework, systematic persecution, criminalization, harassment, police hounding and acts of repression; whereas attacks on freedom of expression, conscience and religion have intensified;
C.whereas over 450 people have been deprived of Nicaraguan nationality;
D.whereas since April 2018, the Nicaraguan authorities have cancelled over 5,600 NGOs;
1.Is deeply concerned by the changes introduced by the constitutional reform which seriously impacts the guarantees of future free and fair elections; urges the authorities to review this reform in order to guarantee rule of law and the separation of the executive, legislative, electoral and judicial branches;
2.Condemns the systematic repression against the opposition, indigenous people, students, NGOs and religious leaders; condemns the use of the criminal law to persecute opponents, to suppress any criticism or opposition; calls on the Nicaraguan authorities to cease politically motivated persecution, criminalization, arbitrary detention;
3.Condemns the provisions institutionalizing the state's power to strip citizens' nationality for the broadly defined crime of treason; condemns the arbitrary deprivation of Nicaraguan citizenship for at least 450 individuals; urges the Nicaraguan authorities to ensure full access to and enjoyment of the right to nationality to all, and to take measures to prevent and eradicate statelessness; urges the Nicaraguan authorities to guarantee family reunification, facilitating the issue and validity of basic official documentation in order for those affected by the violations to be able to exercise citizenship rights;
Read the rest (7 paragraphs)
4.Calls for the immediate release of the 45 remaining political prisoners;
5.Supports the renewal of the Human Rights Council’s Group of Expert on Nicaragua;
6.Calls on the Nicaraguan authorities to guarantee the life and integrity of human rights defenders who remain in Nicaragua; highlights the key role played by civil society, human rights defenders, journalists and religious leaders in Nicaragua; calls on the EU to increase support for those still in the country and currently in exile;
7.Is particularly worried by the impact of the US aid freeze on programs and NGOs in Nicaragua;
8.Urges the EU to hold the Nicaraguan authorities accountable including through Universal Jurisdiction cases, for repression in the country and to explore international mechanisms to hold Nicaraguan authorities accountable for violations of the 1961 convention on the reduction of statelessness and the 1984 convention against torture;
9.Supports the efforts of the EU Delegations to closely monitor developments that are taking place in Nicaragua, including trial monitoring and visiting political prisoners in prison or under house arrest;
10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the Central American Parliament and the authorities of the Republic of Nicaragua.