Nicaragua says it will withdraw from Central American Parliament amid renewed rights criticism

Nicaragua has announced that it will immediately withdraw from the Central American Parliament, a regional body made up of six countries. The government said the move was being taken in the "full exercise of its sovereignty". The decision comes as President Daniel Ortega and co-president Rosario Murillo continue to tighten their control over the country's political system.

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The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the exit would take effect at once. The announcement followed a resolution passed on Friday by the Organization of American States, which called on Nicaragua to restore civil rights and release political prisoners. The government did not indicate any conditions for reversing the decision, and framed the withdrawal as a response to outside pressure.

The Central American Parliament was established to promote human rights and democracy in the region, making Nicaragua's departure symbolically significant. It is the latest in a series of withdrawals from regional and international organisations by the Ortega-Murillo government. Nicaragua left the Organization of American States in 2023 and the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2025 after criticism of its human rights record.

The move adds to Nicaragua's growing isolation in Latin America and underlines the continuing dispute between Managua and international institutions over civil liberties. Ortega's government has long been accused of targeting critics and dissidents through imprisonment, torture and exile. A United Nations report released in September said the government was responsible for at least eight deaths in custody since 2018, when the crackdown on protests and dissent intensified.

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That report also raised questions about the death of Indigenous Miskito leader Brooklyn Rivera, who was detained for 32 months with minimal contact with his family before dying in May. The government said his death was linked to the effects of a previous COVID-19 infection, but a human rights group said that explanation was not medically coherent. The broader pattern has become a central issue in Nicaragua's relations with regional and global bodies, which have repeatedly criticised the state's treatment of opponents.

What remains unclear is whether the withdrawal will have any practical effect beyond the political signal it sends, and whether other regional governments will respond. The government has not said whether it will seek to re-engage with the parliament at a later date. Attention will now turn to whether the latest OAS resolution leads to further diplomatic pressure or additional departures from regional institutions.

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