After two months of conflict in Nicaragua and a death toll of close to 200 people, violence continues in the streets of the Central American country as the protests against the government of Daniel Ortega and its repression seem unlikely to come to an end soon.

The national dialogue resumed last Friday but it advances at a slow pace. The Government accepted this Friday the presence in the country of international human rights observers to investigate the violent deaths that have occurred in the past weeks.

Head of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, confirmed that President Ortega accepted to extend an invitation to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, an autonomous member of the OAS, and experts of the European Union that will help find a solution to the crisis in Nicaragua.

The idea is to form a Security and Verification Commission that will work on the development of an “environment of peace” and a plan for the elimination of roadblocks that has commerce in the country paralyzed even affecting other Central American countries.

In fact this Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights during the presentation of his global report in Geneva, recommended the creation of international commissions “to investigate Nicaraguan political violence”:
“In Nicaragua, anti-government protests over the past two months have led to the killing of at least 178 people, almost entirely at the hand of the police forces and by armed pro-government groups, including allegedly the use of snipers, with at least 1,500 wounded. This is in addition to reported abductions and disappearances. I deplore the violence, including the horrific arson attack two days ago. The gravity of these developments may well merit an international commission of inquiry. I expect the commitments made at the resumption of the National Dialogue on 15 June to be upheld, including the cessation of all forms of violence and threats thereof, and the commitment to extend an urgent invitation to OHCHR to visit the country, as we have repeatedly requested. This invitation should be sent without delay”.