The European Parliament adopts an urgent resolution on Nicaragua

The European Parliament adopted today, October 8, 2020, in plenary session, an urgent resolution on the proposed Law on the Regulation of Foreign Agents, presented in the Nicaraguan National Assembly by the Sandinista National Liberation Front Alliance, the party in government. If the law is approved, any person or entity registered at the Ministry of Interior as a “foreign agent” will be subject to close surveillance and must refrain from intervening in domestic policy issues, thus restricting their civil and political rights and allowing their persecution, harassment and criminal prosecution. 

This law is intended to be an instrument of repression against individuals and human rights organizations that receive resources from international cooperation in Nicaragua. 

The resolution explicitly condemns the Law for the Regulation of Foreign Agents, as well as the Special Law against Cybercrime and the Law against Hate Crimes, and calls on the National Assembly to reject these and all other proposals that threaten the fundamental freedoms of the Nicaraguan people.

MEPs call on the Council to expand the list of persons and entities subject to sanctions, including the President and Vice President, If repression of civil society and human rights abuses and violations persist, taking special care not to harm the people of Nicaragua. Parliament also stresses the importance of implementing the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and the importance of maintaining and strengthening support for civil society in order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.