Nicaragua left the OAS on 19 November 2023
Following a series of diplomatic catastrophes and human rights violations in the country, Nicaragua has left the Organization of American States (OAS) on 19 November 2023. Unlike Brexit, where the decision to leave the EU was based on the famous 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Nicaragua’s actions were taken in a very different context.
That is, the communication of its exit from the OAS took place in 2021 in direct response to the organisation’s claims of violations of the Inter-American Democratic Charter during the country’s last presidential elections. However, according to Article 143 of the Charter of the Organization of the American States, its provisions still apply to the leaving State for a period of two years after the notice of denunciation.
Nicaragua, governed by Daniel Ortega since 2007, has long been under scrutiny by third countries and entities, due to issues including its undermining of democracy and freedom of speech. For example, according to the Human Rights Watch World Report published in 2023, Ortega’s regime is responsible for the persecution and imprisonment of many members of its opposition and the press. The regime has imposed sanctions against 21 Nicaraguan persons and three entities in response to the expulsion of the Head of the EU Delegation from its territory and cutting diplomatic relations with the Netherlands. The sanctions were first introduced in October 2019 and remained in force until 15 October 2023.
Many OAS States have voiced their concerns over the exit. According to El País, Uruguay’s permanent representative, Washington Abdalá, has stated that Nicaragua’s exit does not mean that it will be 'simple', in the sense that human rights could now be freely disregarded in the country. This is especially true considering that several international treaties regarding the protection of human rights are included in Article 46 of Nicaragua’s Constitution, including the American Convention on Human Rights. The Permanent Council of the OAS has also published its 'Measures consequent to the denunciation of the Charter of the Organization of American States by the Republic of Nicaragua' online, where it reaffirms that Nicaragua is still bound to international human rights conventions, and that the Council will 'continue to pay special attention' to the country’s situation.
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For further information, visit the OAS official page.
Photo by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash