IACHR requests from Inter-American Court an extension of provisional measures in favor of Catalino Leo Cárcamo in Nicaragua

January 3, 2025

Washington, DC – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on January 2, 2025, to extend provisional measures in the case Juan Sebastián Chamorro et al. The IACHR asked the Inter-American Court to include in these provisional measures Catalino Leo Cárcamo Herrera and his family, who face an extremely serious and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to their rights.

The IACHR decided to request this extension because Cárcamo's whereabouts have remained unknown since he was arrested by officers of the State in the department of León on November 22, 2024. Since he was arrested, various individuals who are close to him have sought to find out where he is, but they have so far not received an official response from the authorities.

Cárcamo has been since 2018 a beneficiary of precautionary measures granted by the IACHR, based on the risks he faced as head of the media relations department in the Darío radio station.

The IACHR deemed his situation to be particularly serious because his whereabouts are not known and because he is an older person with several health issues. The risks he faces would be made worse in prison, considering the conditions of detention endured by other beneficiaries of provisional measures granted by the Inter-American Court who are deprived of liberty in Nicaragua.

Since its precautionary measures went into force, the IACHR has repeatedly tried to obtain information from the State of Nicaragua, but it has received no response that might indicate that adequate, effective measures have been implemented to mitigate the risks. No information has been provided concerning measures to seek an agreement or to investigate the risks.

Consequently, in keeping with Article 63.2 of the American Convention and Article 27 of the Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the IACHR asked the Inter-American Court to demand that the State of Nicaragua take the following action:

1. Immediately adopt all necessary measures to effectively protect Catalino Leo Cárcamo Herrera's life, integrity, health, personal liberty, and freedom of expression (particularly by officially reporting on his place of detention and by releasing him, given the State's inability to protect the rights of individuals in its custody in the current context)
2. Take protection measures in favor of members of Catalino Leo Cárcamo Herrera's family, amid acts of retaliation for their complaints about his situation and for their attempts to obtain official information about his whereabouts and condition

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights grants provisional measures in extremely serious and urgent cases, to prevent irreparable harm to individuals. Provisional measures are mandatory for States, and the decisions they hold require that States adopt specific actions to protect the rights and/or lives of the individuals who are at risk.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 003/25

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