GENEVA - The decision by the Nicaraguan authorities to ban a further 1,500 civil society organisations - half of them religious associations - is “deeply alarming”, UN human rights office spokesperson Liz Throssell said on Tuesday.

This is especially true considering that civic space in the Central American nation has been “fundamentally eroded in recent years”, amid undue restrictions on religious freedom.

The latest closure orders announced on Monday means that over 5,000 organisations, including NGOs, media outlets and private universities, have now had their legal status cancelled by the Government of Daniel Ortega - most of them since the end of June 2022.

Government takeover

“All of their assets are under Government control”, Ms. Throssell continued noting that the “severe impact of these measures…makes the defence of human rights increasingly difficult in Nicaragua.”

It has also led some civil society groups which are still functioning, censor their own activities due to fear of closure.

“We once again call on the Nicaraguan authorities to stop imposing severe restrictions on civic and democratic spaces in the country, and to ensure that human rights are respected, in line with Nicaragua’s international human rights obligations”, she concluded.