Nicaragua strips lawyers of certification in latest crackdown on dissent | Human Rights News
Nicaragua Strips Lawyers of Licenses Amid Ongoing Human Rights Concerns
Nicaragua’s government, led by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, faces escalating accusations of human rights abuses against dissenters.
Published July 10, 2026
In a significant development, Nicaragua’s government has revoked the licenses of numerous lawyers, drawing criticism as part of a broader crackdown on opposition voices. A United Nations expert has described the government’s actions as a “purge of the legal profession,” suggesting the measures aim to dismantle the country’s remaining democratic checks and balances.
The current government has intensified its campaign against dissent since violent responses to mass protests in 2018. Since that time, it has imprisoned political opponents, religious leaders, and journalists while forcing thousands to flee the country. In addition, authorities have stripped hundreds of their Nicaraguan citizenship and possessions and closed more than 5,000 nongovernmental organizations, targeting religious entities and civic groups alike.
Reed Brody, an American human rights lawyer and member of a UN panel of experts, reported that in recent days, lawyers found their licenses inexplicably removed from the registry of the Supreme Court of Justice. Other legal professionals confirmed that their credentials had also been revoked. The government has not issued any official explanation, and multiple requests for comment to Nicaraguan officials by The Associated Press have gone unanswered.
Brody noted that while the full extent of the revocations remains uncertain, it appears that “at least hundreds, if not thousands of lawyers” could be affected. “This follows a pattern we’ve been observing for years,” he remarked. “First, they closed NGOs and independent media, then went after churches, and now, it seems, the legal profession is under threat.”
Among those affected is Juan Diego Barberena, a lawyer and human rights advocate who has lived in exile in Costa Rica since 2022. Barberena reported losing his certification and stated that at least 25 colleagues faced similar consequences. He discovered that his name and license number had been removed from the government’s database when he attempted to access his legal accreditation.
“This is a method of enforcing totalitarian control over the legal profession,” Barberena said, adding that the government can now determine who is permitted to practice law.
The recent actions are consistent with broader measures taken by the Ortega administration over recent years. Many Nicaraguans stripped of their citizenship have reported similar instances where their legal documents were erased from official records, rendering them “stateless.” Barberena and Brody expressed concern that the latest actions extend beyond dissenters, as even individuals practicing non-political areas of law or those who support the government have reported losing their licenses.
Brody characterized the government’s moves as a strategy to further diminish the independence of an already controlled judicial system. “On one hand, it’s an arbitrary measure to punish political dissent,” he stated. “On the other, it’s the dictatorship looking medium-term, hoping to prevent lawyers, experts, and academics from participating in the future of the country’s institutions.”
