IACHR requests IA Court to expand provisional measures for three individuals deprived of freedom in Nicaragua

May 20, 2025

Washington, DC—On May 20, 2025, The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requested that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights expand provisional measures in the case of Juan Sebastián Chamorro and others concerning Nicaragua. The request seeks to protect Angélica Patricia Chavarría Altamirano, Julio Antonio Quintana Carvajal, and José Alejandro Hurtado Díaz, whose rights are at extreme, urgent risk of irreparable harm.

The IACHR granted precautionary measures to the three individuals in question after finding that their situation met the conditions of seriousness, urgency, and irreparability. Despite repeated efforts to obtain information from the Nicaraguan State, the IACHR has not yet received any information indicating that adequate, effective measures have been taken to reduce the risks. Nor has the State provided any indication of coordination efforts with the affected individuals or actions to investigate the alleged threats.

The three beneficiaries were detained between May 2024 and January 2025 as part of Nicaragua's criminalization of anyone seen as a political dissident or critical of the government—including a wide range of civil society members trying to participate in public, social, political, or religious activities. Months have passed since the arrests of the proposed beneficiaries, but their families still have no official information about where they are being held, why they were detained, or their health conditions. People close to the detainees who have tried to find them or publish information about their cases have faced retaliation from state authorities.

The IACHR stresses that this request is a response to an exceptional situation involving an extreme, urgent, and irreparable threat to the rights of these three individuals. This risk must be understood within the broader human rights context in Nicaragua, which has been under continuous scrutiny by the Organization of American States, the IACHR, and other human rights bodies.

Based on these findings, and in accordance with article 63.2 of the American Convention on Human Rights and article 27 of the IA Court's Rules of Procedure, the IACHR requested the IA Court to order the State of Nicaragua to:

1. Immediately adopt measures to protect the rights to life, personal integrity, health, and freedom of Angélica Patricia Chavarría Altamirano, Julio Antonio Quintana Carvajal, and José Alejandro Hurtado Díaz.
2. Formally disclose the current location or place of detention of Angélica Patricia Chavarría Altamirano, Julio Antonio Quintana Carvajal, and José Alejandro Hurtado Díaz.
3. In light of the serious and inhumane detention conditions they are reportedly facing, proceed to release the three individuals immediately.

Provisional measures issued by the IA Court are legal instruments designed to prevent irreparable harm from being caused to individuals in extremely serious, urgent situations. These measures are binding and compel States to take specific steps to safeguard the rights and lives of individuals at risk.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 108/25

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