Since 2018, Nicaragua’s authoritarian Ortega-Murillo regime has intensified its systematic repression of dissenting voices, particularly those of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society members. Over 5,600 NGOs have been shut down, dozens of journalists have been forced into exile, and at least 450 people have been stripped of their nationality. This repression has coincided with a profound economic, political, and social crisis that has forced nearly 350,000 people to flee, primarily to Costa Rica.
State Violence Extends Beyond Nicaragua’s Borders
In June 2025, Roberto Samcam, a writer, former soldier, and vocal critic of the regime, was assassinated in San José (Costa Rica). Three months later, his wife, Claudia Vargas, an exiled feminist activist, addressed the UN Human Rights Council. She denounced the growing number of attacks against Nicaraguan refugees and urged the international community to intervene.
Even in Switzerland, the PBI team has encountered Nicaraguans activists who prefer publishing anonymous articles or who refuse to participate in events for fear of retaliation against their families in Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, the few remaining activists and independent journalists now operate underground.
In the face of transnational repression, it is more crucial than ever that defenders and international networks join forces.
From Costa Rica to Geneva: An Assential plea
Since 2019, PBI has supported Nicaraguan human rights defenders in exile through a project in Costa Rica. This is PBI’s only project involving people in exile outside their home country. The project aims to strengthen the defenders’ security, psychosocial well-being, and capacity for action while relaying their appeals to international bodies. Last September, as part of this project, a delegation of defenders was invited to Geneva to advocate with diplomatic missions and the UN.
Joining Claudia Vargas were Joao Maldonado, a Nicaraguan activist who survived two assassination attempts and 13 bullets fired at him in Costa Rica, and his partner, Nadia Robleto, a journalist who also survived and is now confined to a wheelchair. “I am a living portrait of transnational persecution,” Robleto says.
In the face of transnational persecution, international solidarity and advocacy are essential. Human rights defenders supported by PBI are calling on the UN Human Rights Council to take firm action to end the impunity of these crimes and persistent human rights violations and to guarantee the protection of exiles. Furthermore, cooperation with Costa Rica is crucial in supporting criminal investigations and protecting exiled human rights defenders.