Rights commission condemns abuses during Nicaragua protests
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nicaragua-protests/rights-commission-condemns-abuses-during-nicaragua-protests-idUSKCN1IM267
MANAGUA (Reuters) - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on Monday condemned Nicaraguas response to weeks of protests against President Daniel Ortega, criticizing a crackdown that resulted in rights abuses including torture and possibly even murder.
n a preliminary report of its findings, the IACHR said that since April 18, it had documented at least 76 people killed, and 868 injured, after protests broke out over discontent with a new law that raised worker and employer social security contributions while cutting benefits.
The IACHR gathered documentary and audiovisual evidence, and heard hundreds of testimonies that reveal grave violations of human rights during a month of protests, characterized by the excessive use of force by state security forces and armed third-parties, it said.
This resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of people injured, illegal and arbitrary detentions, torture, cruel inhuman and degrading treatment, censure and attacks against the press, and other forms of intimidation, it added.