EU Slams Nicaragua Over Expulsion of UN Human Rights Mission

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - The European Union denounced on Saturday the decision of the Nicaraguan authorities to end the mission of the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country after the panel issued a report which alleged multiple human rights violations in Nicaragua.

"The decision by the Nicaragua government to terminate the presence of the mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) goes against the aim of full accountability for human rights violations and serving justice to the victims of violence," the European Union said in a statement.

The European Union urged the Nicaraguan authorities to consider the findings of the report and to implement the OHCHR recommendations, including "the dismantling and disarming of pro-government groups, halting all unlawful arrests and release all those who have been arbitrarily detained."

On Wednesday, the OHCHR published a scathing report which criticized violence and impunity of the crackdown on anti-government protesters across the country and urged action by the international community. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government announced shortly after that the panel was to leave the country.

READ MORE: Civil Unrest in Nicaragua Fueled by ‘All Out Attack on the Public Sector’

Turmoil erupted in Nicaragua on April 18 when people took to the streets to protest unpopular social security reforms. This led to months of demonstrations, which saw some 300 people killed and 2,000 others injured.