A/HRC/60/62 15. Nicaragua 81. During the reporting period, OHCHR continued to receive requests from victims and other sources to anonymize information published about their cases, due to fears of reprisals against themselves or their relatives, whether inside the country or in exile. OHCHR has also documented that at least 62 individuals declined to engage in any form—including under conditions of confidentiality (disclosure of information without revealing data that could identify them)—with United Nations human rights mechanisms, citing the same reason. Among them were journalists, members of outlawed political parties, representatives of Indigenous Peoples affected by the illegal sale of collective territories, and former government officials. Moreover, in two cases documented by OHCHR, two women left Nicaragua permanently, in order to be able to continue to engage with international human rights mechanisms. Names and details of those concerned are withheld for fear of further reprisals. 82. OHCHR32 and the Group of Human Rights experts on Nicaragua (GHREN)33 raised concerns about severe restrictions by the Nicaraguan government on civil society, the further erosion of civic space and the adoption of regressive constitutional and legislative reforms. Specifically, OHCHR and GHREN addressed the forced dissolution of some 5,437 civil society organizations (CSOs) since 2018, including approximately 1,939 since March 2024. According to GHREN, about 80% of the non-profit organizations registered in 2017 have since disappeared (A/HRC/58/26, para 68). Reportedly, during the period under review, 1,898 CSOs were forcibly dissolved. These developments have given rise to serious concerns that such restrictive measures and legislative developments further undermine the ability of civil society to operate effectively and to engage with the United Nations. 83. Furthermore, the National Assembly adopted legislative amendments, requiring all CSOs to operate exclusively through formal “partnership alliances” with state institutions, and to submit their programs and projects to the General Directorate of Registration and Control of CSOs. 34 These measures have reportedly reinforced state control over civil society’s project implementation and undermined their independence. 84. On 27 February 2025, the Government announced its disengagement from the Human Rights Council and all its subsidiary mechanisms, including the Universal Periodic Review. In February 2025, it also withdrew from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the ILO, and the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and ordered the closure of FAO offices in Managua. These actions have significantly reduced the ability of the Nicaraguan people to collaborate with the United Nations system, both within the country and abroad. 85. Recent amendments to the Penal Code and cybercrime legislation, which may broaden the criminalization of dissent, 35 and include provisions targeting publications abroad and online, have reportedly contributed to an increasing climate of fear and retaliation. These developments have discouraged individuals and organizations from sharing information that could be perceived as critical of the government—whether publicly or with relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations. 32 https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/08/comment-un-human-rights-officespokesperson-liz-throssell-further, https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-andspeeches/2024/12/deputy-high-commissioner-updates-human-rights-situation-nicaragua, A/HRC/57/20, para 18, 21, 30, 80, 84. 33 A/HRC/58/26, paras 3, 15, 65-68, https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/09/oralupdate-group-human-rights-experts-nicaragua. 34 Law 1212 of Reforms and Amendments to Law No. 1115, General Law on the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organizations; Law No. 1040, Law on the Regulation of Foreign Agents; and Reforms and Repeals to Law No. 822, Law on Tax Concertation, Nicaraguan Official Gazette N. 155, 22 August 2024, pages 2-3, available at: http://legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni/gacetas/2024/8/g155.pdf (Last Consultation April 2025). 35 Law 1219 of Reforms and Amendments to Law No. 1042, Special Law on Cybercrimes, Nicaraguan Official Gazette N.170, 12 September 2024, pages 2-4, available at https://www.uaf.gob.ni/images/Pdf/Leyes/Ley-No.-1219-Ley-de-Reformas-y-Adiciones-a-la-LeyNo.-1042-Ley-Especial-de-Ciberdelitos.pdf (Last Consultation April 2025). 30