Félix Alejandro Maradiaga
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2019-078-011
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2019
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 12.865416
Longitude: -85.207229
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Nicaragua
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- Dates of prior UN action
- 7 noviembre 2018
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Male
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Type of rights defended
- Unclear in SG Report
- Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
those who regularly share information on human rights violations with OHCHR
On 5 September 2018, Mr. Maradiaga participated in an information session on Nicaragua related to the UN Security Council in New York.
- Engagement with UN body
- OHCHR: OHCHR - General
- Other
- Dates of engagement
- 5 September 2018
- Type of attempted engagement
- Participation in meeting on UN premises
- Submission of information to UN
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 24 September 2018
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Managua
- Reprisal information
harassment and persecution: Those affected have reported threats, harassments and smear campaigns on social media. Their homes and families have been under surveillance by police officers and pro-government armed elements. In some instances, their relatives suffered attacks against their life and personal integrity.
A week later, on 24 September 2018, a criminal court in the district of Managua issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of organized crime and financing of terrorist activities, reportedly for his cooperation with the UN. Prior, on 9 July 2018, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights had granted Mr. Maradiaga precautionary measures responding to a sequence of attacks, threats, death threats against him and his family, as well as stigmatization by public officials. Due to this situation, Mr. Maradiaga left the country.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
- Defamation / Defamation campaign
- Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
- Online harassment
- Surveillance
- Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- Both state and non-state actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- No
- Government response dates
- 27 November 2018
- Government response content
Regarding the situation of Mr. Maradiaga, the Government informed that there was an arrest warrant against him on charges of organized crime and financing of terrorist activities, as per articles 393 and 395 of the Criminal Code.
- Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
- Yes
- Which State raised the case at the UN and when?
The United States of America raised the case in March 2022 at the 49th session of the HRC, under agenda item 5; “Sadly, the situation for human rights defenders around the world is dire. In Nicaragua, presidential candidates Félix Maradiaga and Cristiana Chamorro and five others were convicted for their activism and criticism of the regime. In Maradiaga's case, his remarks before the UN Security Council were used against him, and he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.”
BENELUX raised the case in September 2023 at the 54th session of the HRC, during the interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General on the report on reprisals; “We wish to express our particular concern about the following grave cases: 4. Comisión Permanente de Derechos Humanos and its staff, Mr. Félix Alejandro Maradiaga, Mr. Anibal Toruño and Ms. Vilma Nuñez de Escorcia in Nicaragua.”
BENELUX raised the case in March 2024 at the 55th session of the HRC, during the general debate under item 5; “We strongly condemn all acts of intimidation or reprisal against individuals seeking to engage with the UN. We will continue to raise the names of those who have been silenced: 5. Researcher and human rights defender Felix Maradiaga who was arbitrarily deported from Nicaragua and deprived of his nationality, in connection to his earlier briefing to the UN Security Council in 2018. The charges must be dropped and his passport should be immediately returned to him.”
BENELUX raised the case in September 2024 at the 57th session of the HRC, during the interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General on the report on reprisals; “We remain also concerned about the following cases of reprisals: 5. A valid passport should be immediately returned to Felix Maradiaga who was expelled from Nicaragua and deprived of his nationality due to his presentation to the UN Security Council in 2018.”
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg raised the case in October 2024 at the Third Committee session, during the interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ilze Brands Kehris.
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 3
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2022
- Follow up information provided in SG report 0
- The case of Mr. Félix Alejandro Maradiaga, a political scientist and executive director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Public Policy (IEEPP) whose legal status was cancelled in 2018, was included in the 2018 report of the Secretary-General on allegations of an arrest warrant following his briefing to the UN Security Council on the situation in Nicaragua on 5 September 2018 (S/PV.8340, pages 4–5). On 19 July 2021, mandate-holders addressed allegations of the detention and disappearance of Mr. Maradiaga on 8 June 2021 following questioning by the police about his international activities, notably in relation to the Organization of American States and the UN Security Council (NIC 5/2021). Mr. Maradiaga was part a group of individuals who had registered as pre-candidates for an internal primary election or had publicly expressed their intention to run for the 21 November 2021 Presidential elections (A/HRC/49/23, para. 8). According to information received by OHCHR, Mr. Maradiaga was convicted on 3 March 2022 to 13 years in prison under Law No. 1055 (on the defence of the rights of the people to independence, sovereignty, and self-determination for peace for “undermining national integrity”). Reportedly, prosecutors presented as evidence the testimony that he gave at the United Nations Security Council in 2018
- Followup Trends 0
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Date of follow up 0
- 19 July 2021
- Did the government respond? 0
- No
- Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- UN Special Procedures: UN Special Procedures - General
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
- 2023
- Follow up information provided in SG report 1
- The case of Mr. Félix Alejandro Maradiaga was included in the 2019 and 2022 reports of the Secretary-General134 for an arrest warrant in 2018135 and conviction in March 2022 and sentencing to 13 years in prison under Law No. 1055 in connection to his briefing to the UN Security Council in September 2018 (S/PV.8340, pages 4–5). Mr. Maradiaga is a political scientist, was the executive director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Public Policy (IEEPP) and a pre-candidate for the 2021 presidential elections. 136 According to information received by OHCHR, on 9 February 2023 Mr. Maradiaga and another 221 persons were arbitrarily deprived of their liberty and deported from Nicaragua based on an order from the Court of Appeals of Managua.137 Mr. Maradiaga, together with the others, was also arbitrarily deprived of his nationality and his records were reportedly erased from the Civil Registry, which had multiple negative impacts on his human rights.
- Followup Trends 1
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Did the government respond? 1
- No
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 2
- 2025
- Follow up information provided in SG report 2
- The case of Mr. Félix Alejandro Maradiaga was included in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 reports of the Secretary-General96 for an arrest warrant in 2018,97 conviction in March 2022 and sentencing to 13 years in prison in connection to his briefing to the UN Security Council in September 2018. 98 Mr. Maradiaga, a political scientist, was the executive director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Public Policy (IEEPP) and a pre-candidate for the 2021 presidential elections.99In 2022, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his detention to be arbitrary100 Reportedly, in February 2023, Mr. Maradiaga was arbitrarily deported from Nicaragua to the United States, arbitrarily deprived of his nationality and his records were reportedly erased from the Civil Registry.101
- According to information received by OHCHR, in 2024, at least 15 of Mr. Maradiaga’s family members were reportedly subjected to harassment by the Nicaraguan police, including short-term arbitrary detention without formal charges, surveillance of their residences, being followed by unmarked vehicles, and repeatedly receiving threatening phone calls. This sustained pressure reportedly created a climate of fear, prompting some relatives to cut off communication with Mr. Maradiaga. Reportedly, between 2022 and 2024, the Nicaraguan government arbitrarily cancelled or refused to renew the passports of at least 11 of his close relatives and several were barred from re-entering the country upon attempting to return from travel abroad, including his mother.
- In 2024, at least three of Mr. Maradiaga’s former co-workers were reportedly summoned for interrogations by the Ministry of the Interior and questioned regarding their communications with him. Four additional former administrative staff were reportedly visited by police and ordered to report regularly, as well as questioned about their former roles in IEEPP, relationship with Mr. Maradiaga and any ongoing contact with him.
- According to information received by OHCHR, on 24 September 2024, officials from the Attorney General’s Office, accompanied by police, arrived without prior notice or judicial order and seized Mr. Maradiaga’s family property in Jinotega. Additionally, a systematic defamation campaign intensified in 2024. State-aligned media and social media accounts circulated content labeling Mr. Maradiaga as a “traitor,” “terrorist,” and “foreign agent.” In May 2024, the director of pro-government Radio La Primerísima dedicated several broadcasts to defaming Mr. Maradiaga, with official media amplifying these accusations across platforms.
- Followup Trends 2
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Did the government respond? 2
- No