Ni Silencio, Ni Olvido: Gender-Based Political Persecution in Nicaragua

For decades, women in Nicaragua have been at the forefront of struggles for human rights, democracy, and social justice. Through grassroots organizing, advocacy and community leadership, feminist activists and women human rights defenders have challenged authoritarianism and defended the dignity and autonomy of their communities. But these women are paying a devastating price for their courage, according to a recent IM-Defensoras report Persecución Política por Motivo de Género en Nicaragua: Ni Silencio Ni Olvido (Gender-based Political Persecution in Nicaragua: No Silence, No Oblivion).

The report analyzes 120 documented cases of gender-based persecution linked to the feminist and women’s movement in Nicaragua, revealing a systematic pattern of repression directed at women activists, leaders, and human rights defenders. Across these cases, researchers documented 52 arbitrary arrests, 61 cases of forced exile and 42 cases involving torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. These violations are not isolated incidents. Rather, the evidence shows that Nicaraguan authorities have deliberately targeted women leaders and their networks. The repression is driven not only by political motives but also by gender discrimination aimed at punishing women’s leadership, autonomy and refusal to conform to traditional gender roles. Women activists have been labeled “traitors,” publicly discredited, and portrayed as threats to “traditional values,” reflecting a broader attempt to undermine feminist organizing and silence dissent.

The report highlights that:

• Technology is being used as a tool of repression. Digital technologies have become tools of surveillance and intimidation. Social media platforms, blogs and pro-government digital networks were used to monitor and harass members of women’s movements. Women activists were subjected to coordinated online attacks, including the publication of private information such as home addresses, hacking of personal accounts, and threats intended to intimidate and silence them. Under the 2021 “gag law,” criticism of the government could be criminalized, and social media posts were sometimes used as evidence in legal proceedings against activists.
• Sexual violence and humiliation are frequently experienced while in detention. Out of the 120 documented cases, 24 involved rape or other forms of sexual violence, including threats of rape and forced nudity. In 21 cases, detained women were forced to undress, perform naked squats, or were photographed naked by state agents and civilians. These abuses occurred in six detention centers across five departments of Nicaragua and involved police officers, military personnel, and prison authorities. Nine women were raped while in custody, in some cases repeatedly and by multiple officers during interrogations. The victims ranged in age from 19 to 55 and came from diverse social and political backgrounds, including students, activists, human rights defenders and community leaders.
• Nicaraguan authorities deliberately used motherhood as a form of psychological torture. In several cases, women were threatened with harm to their children or separation from them. Some women were separated from their children, including breastfeeding babies, while others were denied contact with their children or prevented from receiving photographs or communication from their families. Authorities used women’s caregiving roles deliberately to exploit them and break their resistance including accusations of being “bad mothers” as a tactic intended to induce guilt and shame.

A Call to Solidarity

At a time when civic space in Nicaragua continues to shrink and women’s voices are under constant threat, global attention and solidarity are more important than ever. On February 25, 2026, the Global Women’s Institute (GWI), in partnership with the Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders (IM-Defensoras) and the Guernica Centre for International Justice, hosted a virtual panel discussion to mark the launch of the report.

Moderated by Mary Ellsberg, Director of the Global Women’s Institute, the panel featured report contributors Gema Gutiérrez Hernández, Diana Silva and María Martín, with expert commentary from Lisa Davis, the ICC Special Adviser on Gender and Other Discriminatory Crimes and Tamara Dávila, a Nicaraguan feminist leader and ex-political prisoner.

The report and the conversation it sparked during the webinar underscores the importance of preserving testimony, documenting patterns of repression and supporting international accountability efforts. As speakers emphasized throughout the discussion, the experiences of Nicaraguan women must not be erased. By amplifying the experiences of Nicaraguan women and supporting efforts for justice, we help ensure that their stories are neither silenced nor forgotten.

This piece is informed by the report Persecución Política por Motivo de Género en Nicaragua: Ni Silencio Ni Olvido, produced by IM-Defensoras.