Nicaraguan Government Targets Legal Professionals in Latest Crackdown
In a dramatic escalation of control, Nicaragua’s government has recently revoked the licenses of numerous lawyers, a move described by a United Nations expert as a deliberate “purge of the legal profession.” This action is seen as part of an ongoing effort to dismantle the country’s democratic institutions.
The administration, led by the husband-and-wife team of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, has intensified its crackdown on dissent since the violent suppression of widespread protests in 2018. The Nicaraguan government has since imprisoned political opponents, religious figures, and journalists, while many others have been forced into exile. Furthermore, the government has stripped hundreds of their citizenship and confiscated their property. Over 5,000 organizations, mostly religious but also including community groups, have been shut down.
In recent developments, lawyers have discovered their licenses removed from the Supreme Court of Justice’s registry without explanation or prior notification. Reed Brody, an American human rights lawyer and U.N. expert on Nicaragua, alongside other affected lawyers, noted the absence of any official communication regarding this sweeping action.
The exact number of affected lawyers remains unclear, but Brody speculates that it could be “at least hundreds, if not thousands.” He explained, “This follows the pattern that we’ve been seeing for years. First, they closed the NGOs, the universities, the independent media, you know, they’ve gone after the churches, and now it seems the legal profession.” Brody emphasized that anyone potentially standing between the government and the citizens is at risk.
Lawyer and human rights advocate Juan Diego Barberena, who has been exiled in Costa Rica since 2022, is among those whose legal credentials have been revoked. Barberena reported that upon attempting to access his accreditation on the government’s database, his information was no longer there. He shared, “This is a means of exercising totalitarian control over the legal profession.”
This action appears to mirror previous governmental measures, with many exiles reporting their citizenship and legal documents have similarly vanished from official records. However, Brody and Barberena point out that this latest move affects not only dissenters but also Nicaraguans abroad and some who were previously government supporters. Lawyers practicing non-political fields such as criminal or family law have also been impacted.
Brody interprets this as a strategic effort to further consolidate control over the judicial system, which is already heavily influenced by Ortega and Murillo. According to Barberena, the actions serve a dual purpose: to punish political dissent and to inhibit future participation of legal experts and academics in shaping the country’s institutions.
For further updates on this developing story, visit the Associated Press coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean here.
