Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition 1.7.2025: “Human Rights” Industry vs Nicaragua Reality

Love is stronger than hate because by loving each other, respecting each other, understanding each other, we unite our voices, our strengths, to continue creating the homeland we dream of.

Covert Action (John Perry): How the Human Rights Industry Manufactures Consent for “Regime Change” This “Human Rights Industry,” headed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), has multiple layers that include UN “expert groups” and “rapporteurs,” regional commissions like (in the Western Hemisphere) the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, international NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and tens of thousands of other non-governmental organizations.

As the case of Nicaragua shows, the real purpose of most of the human rights industry is exposed. None of the US interventions [e.g., 2018, 2021], not even the unilateral sanctions which are contrary to international law, appears in any published “human rights” reports, despite the very obvious damage they have inflicted on ordinary Nicaraguans. 

The UNHRC has just published its periodic review of Nicaragua’s human rights record. Nicaragua has made huge advances in social and economic rights since 2007 under its Sandinista government—but hardly any good news of this kind appears in the UN’s report. Much of the evidence accepted by UNHCR comes from dozens of NGOs which are actually based in the U.S. and Costa Rica.

NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, or the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (an offshoot of the Organization of American States, or OAS) or the UNHCR itself, all utilize evidence provided by the local “human rights” NGOs, apparently without questioning its veracity. Nor do these bodies respond if a lay person points out the errors, omissions and outright lies promulgated by these NGOs. 

Perhaps the most egregious example of partiality comes from the UN itself. In 2022, the UNHCR established a “Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua” (GHREN) which, in February 2023, published a highly biased report. It went so far as to argue that Nicaragua’s government had committed “crimes against humanity.” The “experts” even went beyond their mandate and recommended further economic sanctions.

In The Human Rights Industry, Alfred de Zayas makes the point that the real purpose behind such expert groups or commissions is “to denigrate and destabilize the targeted government to facilitate undemocratic ‘regime change’ as desired by one or more powerful countries.” As de Zayas says, such “experts” might even make a genuine offer of technical help in the field of human rights. But these groups, and these reports, are not really concerned with the rights of ordinary Nicaraguans, nor are they intended to assist the government. At best, they are concerned only with the rights of a small elite represented in the (mainly exiled) opposition groups. At worst, their purpose is to demonize the government, aiding the process of manufacturing consent for Washington’s aim of regime change in Nicaragua.

TeleSur: Nicaragua’s GDP Grew by 3.8% in the First Nine Months of 2024 For 2024, the Central Bank estimates economic growth between 3.5% and 4.5%, with inflation expected to range from 3% to 4%. The year-on-year evolution of GDP in the third quarter of 2024 was driven by growth in construction activities (16.2%), fishing and aquaculture (6.9%), financial intermediation and related services (6.7%), hotels and restaurants (5.3%), and transportation and communications (4.3%). The quarterly GDP growth was driven by internal demand, thanks to an increase in consumption (4.2%) and fixed investment (9.9%). This was somewhat offset by a decrease in net external demand, resulting from a drop in exports of goods and services (-7%) and an increase in imports (4.2%). Nicaragua’s GDP grew by 4.6% in 2023; 3.8% in 2022; and 10.3% in 2021, according to the monetary authority.

ALBA-TCP rejects arrest warrant issued by Argentine federal judge against President Daniel Ortega The Member States of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) categorically reject the illegal judicial decision of the Argentine federal judge, Ariel Lijo, against the constitutional president of the Republic of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo. Once again, Argentine State institutions are assuming spurious powers as judges in the region, issuing illegal and unusual orders against governments legitimately elected by popular will, under the pretext of the principle of universal jurisdiction, as it has already done against Venezuela, another member country of the Alliance.

Venezuela Condemns Argentina’s Lawfare Operation Against Nicaragua The Venezuelan government issued a statement strongly condemning the legal action brought against Nicaragua by Argentinian judge Ariel Lijo. The judge has issued an arrest warrant for the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and other officials in what is clearly a lawfare operation. The officials stand accused of “human rights violations.” It is not clear how Argentina can claim to have jurisdiction over any of these alleged crimes. In a statement, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the actions taken by the Argentinian magistrate as “illegal and illegitimate” while emphasizing that it is a “ridiculous action, based on falsehoods by agents aligned with Western hegemony and anti-Sandinista opposition groups.” The action, declared the ministry, “demonstrates the political use of the Argentinian judicial system as an instrument of [foreign] intervention.”

Events

January 13: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition monthly zoom meeting, 2:30 PM ET.  Email NicaraguaSolidarityCoalition@gmail.com in advance to request Zoom access.

January 28-31: Havana, Cuba: VI International Conference For World Balance This conference cultivates partnerships and formulates actionable strategies to propel us towards a more equitable and just global community. Organized by the Office of the Martí Program and co-sponsored by UNESCO and Soka Gakkai International.

 February 8, London: Latin America Conference This will be the 19th annual Latin America Adelante! Conference.

Delegations to Nicaragua 2025:

Casa Ben Linder Email casabenjaminlinder@gmail.com to apply:

20 February – 1 March 2025: The Bird Brigade: Birding in Solentiname Arquipelago

6-16 March 2025: Power & Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua

May 2025: Co-ops and Communities: Cooperative Movement in Nicaragua

June 2025: Global Health: Family and Community Health in Nicaragua

July 2025: Solidarity in Action: Nicaragua’s Popular Revolution

November 2025: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua

Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition: nicasolidarity.com

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