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🇳🇮 Nicaragua /Elections & Politics

International lawyers’ group condemns “mass revocation” of licenses for Nicaraguan lawyers

From Confidencial · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute condemned the mass revocation of licenses for lawyers and public notaries in Nicaragua.
  • The group said the measures affected lawyers inside Nicaragua and in exile, including practitioners working in nonpolitical areas such as family law.
  • IBAHRI called for the immediate restoration of credentials and an end to political interference in the justice system.

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute has condemned what it called a “mass revocation” of licenses for lawyers and public notaries in Nicaragua. The group said the action by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s government undermines the independence of the legal profession and deprives citizens of independent legal representation.

According to the IBAHRI, the suspensions have affected professionals living in Nicaragua and lawyers forced into exile. The measure has reportedly reached not only legal professionals critical of the government, but also lawyers working in areas considered nonpolitical, including family law.

Removing lawyers’ licenses without explanation or any right to respond is incompatible with the most basic guarantees of professional discipline.

· Mark StephensThe IBAHRI co-president criticized the revocation process and its lack of due process.

Those affected learned that their credentials had been canceled while attempting routine court procedures or after arbitrary changes appeared in the Supreme Court’s electronic system. The IBAHRI said the revocations took place without due process and placed the livelihoods of many lawyers at serious risk.

A deliberate attempt to eliminate one of the last professional groups capable of defending citizens’ rights.

· Mark StephensStephens characterized the license revocations as an attack on lawyers who can defend citizens.

“Removing lawyers’ licenses without explanation or any right to respond is incompatible with the most basic guarantees of professional discipline,” said IBAHRI co-president Mark Stephens. He described the action as “a deliberate attempt to eliminate one of the last professional groups capable of defending citizens’ rights.”

Co-president Hina Jilani called the measure “a grave attack on access to justice” and another step toward consolidating authoritarian rule. The organization cited warnings from the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua about a “silent purge of the legal profession” and demanded the immediate restoration of the affected credentials and an end to political interference in the judiciary.

A grave attack on access to justice.

· Hina JilaniThe IBAHRI co-president described the effect of depriving citizens of independent legal defenders.
About this summary

Originally published by Confidencial in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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