Human rights defender Freddy Alberto Navas López released and deported to the United States of America

Front Line Defenders welcomes the release of the human rights defender Freddy Alberto Navas, who was released in a group of 222 political prisoners and human rights defenders deported from Nicaragua to the United States of America. On 9 February 2023, the president of the First Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Managua published a sentence by which it "decreed the immediate and effective deportation of 222 persons sentenced for committing acts that undermine the independence, sovereignty and self-determination of the people; for inciting violence, terrorism and economic destabilization.” Likewise, the sentence declared these convicted persons as traitors to the homeland and they have been permanently disqualified from holding public office.

Thus, the 222 released persons were put on a flight to Washington D.C.. After their arrival in the United States, the Nicaraguan National Assembly unanimously approved a constitutional reform that allows the revocation of the nationality of those persons who are declared "traitors of the homeland.” Human rights defender Freddy Alberto Navas Lopez was among the 222 people deported and who had their Nicaraguan nationality revoked. According to local organizations, there are still 38 political prisoners awaiting release in Nicaragua.

Freddy Alberto Navas Lopez was detained on 15 July 2021 and was held incommunicado at the "El Chipote" Judicial Assistance Directorate without access to legal defense. The detention of Freddy Navas took place in the midst of a context of criminalisation and trials against more than 40 people, including human rights defenders, journalists, opponents of the government, and seven presidential candidates, all accused of similar crimes.

Front Line Defenders welcomes the release of human rights defender Freddy Alberto Navas López and 222 other opposition political prisoners. However, Front Line Defenders condemns the revocation of nationality as reprisal for human rights work. Front Line Defenders reiterates its concerns regarding those who remain imprisoned.

On 1 September 2021, the preliminary hearing of the defender Freddy Alberto Navas López took place, in which the Nicaraguan Public Prosecutor's Office formally charged him with "conspiracy against national integrity" under articles 410 and 412 of the Penal Code. The Public Prosecutor's office also ordered him to be remanded in custody, a decision that comes after the human rights defender’s 59 days of incommunicado detention in "El Chipote" Judicial Aid Office since his arrest by members of the Nicaraguan National Police on 15 July 2021.

On 1 September 2021, the prison authorities notified the human rights defender's family that he would be granted visitation rights. After visiting him, his relatives reported that the peasant leader looked noticeably thinner and had told them that he was being subjected to regular interrogation, often in the early hours of the morning, during his detention.

On 5 July 2021, Freddy Alberto Navas López, human rights defender and peasant leader, was arrested by members of the Nicaraguan National Police. At the time of the arrest, the human rights defender was at his home in the city of Managua. Others were also arrested on the same day, including peasant leader Pedro Joaquín Mena Amado and presidential candidate Medardo Mairena Sequeira.

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Freddy Alberto Navas López is a peasant leader, human rights defender and coordinator of the Movimiento Campesino y Aliados de Nicaragua (Peasant Movement and Allies of Nicaragua), which was originally founded in 2013, with the aim of stopping the Nicaragua Grand Inter-oceanic Canal project. The human rights defender’s work in the defence of the land and in favour of the rights of peasants has been prominent for the last eight years. From 2018 to date, Freddy Alberto Navas López has been involved in protests seeking the democratisation of Nicaragua.

On 5 July 2021, at around 9:00 pm, members of the National Police violently and forcefully entered the human rights defender's house. After throwing Freddy Alberto Navas López into a van and taking him away, police officers remained at his home for at least two hours, during which time they kept his wife tied up and took various personal items including his medicines, passport, mobile phone, money and computers. So far, the human rights defender remains incommunicado at the "El Chipote" Judicial Aid Office.

The detention of human rights defender Freddy Alberto Navas López takes place in the context of arbitrary arrests and harassment of opposition and social movement leaders, as well as presidential candidates. According to information from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), from 2 to 21 June 2021, the National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office detained at least five people who had made their intention to run for president public, another five women leaders and three political leaders. The arrests were carried out under ambiguous criminal concepts based on two laws adopted in July 2018 and October 2020, respectively, the "Law No. 977 against Money Laundering, Financing of Terrorism" and the "Law No. 1055 for the defence of the rights of the people to independence, sovereignty and self-determination for peace".

In this context, the press release published by the National Police on the arrest of defender Freddy Alberto Navas López details that the detainees are being investigated for acts related to the murder of four police officers in the municipality of Morrito, department of Río San Juan in 2018. They are also being investigated for allegedly carrying out acts that undermine independence, sovereignty and self-determination, inciting foreign interference in internal affairs, and organizing with funding from foreign powers to carry out acts of terrorism and destabilization, according to the Law for the Defence of the Rights of the People to Independence, Sovereignty and Self-Determination for Peace.

The arrest of the human rights defender is not an isolated case. Since 2018, human rights defenders and government opponents in Nicaragua have reported being targets of harassment. Freddy Alberto Navas López was harassed by the police in 2018 and was first detained on 17 November 2018 in retaliation for his participation in protests that year. The defender was subjected to ill-treatment and was subsequently released on 11 June 2019 under the Amnesty Law. Since October 2020 he has been prevented from exercising his right to freedom of movement, as for several months representatives of the National Police have prevented him and his wife from leaving their home.

On 14 September 2019, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures in favour of the human rights defender on the grounds that he was in a situation of imminent risk after experiencing police surveillance and interrogations after his release. This was the case on 12 August 2019 upon his return from the farmers' march in Costa Rica, where he was detained by riot police in Managua for over an hour and questioned about his political ideologies and alleged funding of the farmers' march.

Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned for the health and integrity of human rights defender Freddy Alberto Navas López, as he must have access to medication and adequate medical care due to having severe lower back pain aggravated by ill-treatment during his first detention in 2018, as a result of his peaceful activities in defence of human rights in Nicaragua.

As part of the International Observatory on the Situation of Human Rights in Nicaragua, Front Line Defenders has repeatedly denounced the violent repression of human rights defenders in Nicaragua. This context of profound violence and repression against human rights defenders in the country makes it increasingly difficult for human rights defenders in Nicaragua to carry out their work.