Nicaragua’s Ortega kicks out UN experts

Expulsion comes after UN report blamed government for a violent crackdown on protesters

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has ordered a United Nations human rights team to leave the country, two days after the release of a scathing report that blames Ortega’s government for leading a violent crackdown on protesters.

In a statement on Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said its regional team received a letter Thursday from Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry, saying it would be the last day for its investigative team in Nicaragua.

The letter, signed by Foreign Minister Denis Moncada, said the underlying “reasons, causes and conditions” why Nicaragua invited the United Nations in the first place no longer existed. The decision to expel the investigators follows the group’s report about the Ortega government’s role in the violent repression of protesters since demonstrations began in April.

Hundreds killed

More than 300 people have been killed and 2,000 injured in the clashes, according to the United Nations.

The report found that the “overall response of the authorities to the protests” resulted in a “violation of international human rights law.”

“Although some demonstrations turned violent, the majority of protesters were peaceful,” the report said. “In cases where protesters were violent, the use of lethal force by authorities against nonlethal threats and the reliance on pro-Government armed elements, also violated international human rights law. This response systematically repressed dissent against the Government.”