IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures in Favor of Families of Human Rights Defenders in Nicaragua

May 21, 2021

Washington, D.C. — On May 17, 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) adopted Resolution 44/2021, through which it granted precautionary measures in favor of specific members of the families of human rights defenders in Nicaragua. The IACHR deemed that the situation meets, prima facie, the requirements of gravity, urgency, and risk of irreparable damage set out in Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure. According to the petition, the family members were in a situation of concrete risk in the current context in Nicaragua. In 2019, the IACHR issued Resolution 62/19, in which it identified 16 human rights defenders that were at risk due to the conditions in which they were being deprived of their freedom.

The IACHR deemed the following people to be beneficiaries: 1) various members of the family of Neyma Elizabeth Hernández Ruiz: her mother, Mirna María Ruiz; her sisters and brothers, Amanda Guadalupe Hernandez Ruíz, Cristian Javier Hernández Ruiz, Nahomy Rachel Hernández Ruiz, Isaías Ismael Hernández Ruíz, and Ana Francela Hernández Ruiz; and her grandmother, Rosa Amanda Morales Romero; 2) one member of the family of Ivania del Carmen Álvarez Martínez: her brother, Marvin Antonio Álvarez Martínez; 3) one member of the family of Olga Sabrina Valle López: her brother, Marvin Romario Valle López; 4) one member of the family of José Dolores Medina: his brother, Rodrigo Alejandro Medina Cabrera; 5) one member of the family of Hansel Amaro Quintero Gómez: his mother, Grethel Isabel Gómez, and 6) one member of the family of Amaya Coppens: her partner, Sergio Midence.

Likewise, the IACHR was informed that certain people who initially became beneficiaries while being deprived of their freedom were now at liberty, but continued to be exposed to risk factors, as did members of their families. After having verified that the threats, monitoring, intimidation, harassment, and aggression in question are ongoing, the IACHR requested that the State of Nicaragua a) take the necessary measures to guarantee the right to life and personal integrity of the beneficiaries named in the resolution. To that end, the State must guarantee that its agents respect the beneficiaries' rights in accordance with the standards established by international human rights law, while also protecting their rights in relation to third-party risk; with regard to individuals who are deprived of their liberty, it should ensure that their conditions of detention are compatible with applicable international standards on the matter; b) agree on any measures to be adopted in consultation with the beneficiaries and their representatives; and c) report on the actions it implements to investigate the alleged events that led to the adoption of this precautionary measure so as to prevent them from being repeated.

The IACHR's granting of this precautionary measure and its adoption by the State does not entail a prejudgment on any petition that may eventually be filed before the inter-American system to allege that the rights protected by any applicable instruments have been violated.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR is composed of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 132/21