Nicaragua
19.07.02
Urgent Interventions
Nicaragua: extrajudicial executions of street children and youth
CHILD CONCERN
Case NIC 190702.CC
Extrajudicial Executions
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your very URGENT intervention in the following situation in Nicaragua:
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Casa Alianza, a member of the OMCT network, that children and young adults continue to be murdered in Nicaragua.
According to the information collected by Casa Alianza Nicaragua, at least 97 (ninety-seven) children and young Nicaraguans less than 23 years of age met violent deaths during the last eight months of the year 2001.
According to the reported information, 74% were young boys and youths, constituting the vast majority of the victims. 32% of the victims were less than 17 years of age and 61% were less than 18 years of age, rendering the average age of the victims a mere 16 years old.
According to the information, the killings of street children and at-risk youth are abundant in the Central American region. In the meantime, a growing number of politicians inaccurately try to blame increasing levels of violent crime on children and youths, instead of looking at the actual numbers of children and youths who are murder victims.
The Nicaraguan statistics were compiled by the Legal Aid program of Casa Alianza and through newspaper reports. According to these sources, the average age of murdered children in Nicaragua is the lowest in Central America. That is, in Nicaragua, the average age of murdered children is 16 years, while in Honduras it is 17 years and in Guatemala it is 17.6 years.
According to the information received, in Nicaragua firearms accounted for 36% of the killings of children and youth, while knives, beating, poisoning and suffocation comprised the remaining 64% of the violent deaths.
According to the reports, the majority of the killings of children and youth in Nicaragua occurred in the city of Managua (45%), followed by the Atlantic Region (16%). The cities of Matagalpa and Estelí follow in distant third place. In regards to those responsible for the killings, five of the suspected murderers (5%) are National Police officers, and two are private security guards (2%).
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its profound concern regarding the aforementioned situation. OMCT wishes to brings particular attention to the fact that, in ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Nicaragua is bound to the provision that “Every child has the inherent right to life” (Art. 6).
OMCT deems that extrajudicial executions, when the perpetrators are not identified, can invoke the responsibility of the State for lack of due diligence. Due diligence imposes various positive measures on States Parties that they are expected to adopt in conformity with the international norms of human rights. These measures include the obligations to prevent, stop, investigate and punish human rights violations, to provide sufficient compensation and promote the adequate recuperation and reintegration of the victim.
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities in Nicaragua urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the right to life, as well as the safety and physical and psychological integrity of all children and young adults in Nicaragua, including those that live on the streets;
ii. guarantee an immediate investigation into the circumstances of all of the killings, with the goal of identifying those responsible, bringing them before a competent and impartial civil tribunal and applying the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
iii. guarantee respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in compliance with national, regional and international laws, particularly with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Addresses:
- Dr. Enrique Bolaños Geyer, Presidente de la República, Casa de la Presidencia, Avenida Bolívar y Dupla Sur, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax : (+50 5) 228 79 11 ; (+50 5) 228 43 51 ;
E-mail : Presidente@presidencia.gob.ni; prensa@presidencia.gob.ni
- Dr. José Rizo Castellón, Vice-Presidente, Casa de la Presidencia, Avenida Bolívar y Dupla Sur, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax : (+50 5) 228 79 11
- Sr. Oscar Herdocia Lacayo, Procurador General de Justicia, Frente a la Iglesia San Francisco, Managua, Nicaragua.
Telegrams: Procurador General de Justicia, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax: (+50 5) 266 85 54
- Dr. Benjamín Pérez Fonseca, Procurador de los Derechos Humanos, Estatua de Montoya, 2 cuadras arriba, a mano derecha, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax : (+50 5) 266 41 41
E-mail : procuracion@pddh.org
- Ing. Arturo Harding Lacayo, Ministro de Gobernación; Fax: (+50 5) 228 79 11
- Dr. Benjamín Pérez Fonseca, Presidente Comisión de Derechos Humanos en la Asamblea Nacional, Avenida Bolívar, Contiguo a Casa de Gobierno. Fax : (+50 5) 228 10 21
- Diario La Prensa, Apdo. 192, Managua, Nicaragua; Fax : (+50 5) 249 69 26 / 28
E-mail : nacionales@laprensa.com.ni
Please also write to the embassies of Nicaragua in your respective country
Geneva, 19 July, 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Case NIC 190702.CC
Extrajudicial Executions
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your very URGENT intervention in the following situation in Nicaragua:
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Casa Alianza, a member of the OMCT network, that children and young adults continue to be murdered in Nicaragua.
According to the information collected by Casa Alianza Nicaragua, at least 97 (ninety-seven) children and young Nicaraguans less than 23 years of age met violent deaths during the last eight months of the year 2001.
According to the reported information, 74% were young boys and youths, constituting the vast majority of the victims. 32% of the victims were less than 17 years of age and 61% were less than 18 years of age, rendering the average age of the victims a mere 16 years old.
According to the information, the killings of street children and at-risk youth are abundant in the Central American region. In the meantime, a growing number of politicians inaccurately try to blame increasing levels of violent crime on children and youths, instead of looking at the actual numbers of children and youths who are murder victims.
The Nicaraguan statistics were compiled by the Legal Aid program of Casa Alianza and through newspaper reports. According to these sources, the average age of murdered children in Nicaragua is the lowest in Central America. That is, in Nicaragua, the average age of murdered children is 16 years, while in Honduras it is 17 years and in Guatemala it is 17.6 years.
According to the information received, in Nicaragua firearms accounted for 36% of the killings of children and youth, while knives, beating, poisoning and suffocation comprised the remaining 64% of the violent deaths.
According to the reports, the majority of the killings of children and youth in Nicaragua occurred in the city of Managua (45%), followed by the Atlantic Region (16%). The cities of Matagalpa and Estelí follow in distant third place. In regards to those responsible for the killings, five of the suspected murderers (5%) are National Police officers, and two are private security guards (2%).
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its profound concern regarding the aforementioned situation. OMCT wishes to brings particular attention to the fact that, in ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Nicaragua is bound to the provision that “Every child has the inherent right to life” (Art. 6).
OMCT deems that extrajudicial executions, when the perpetrators are not identified, can invoke the responsibility of the State for lack of due diligence. Due diligence imposes various positive measures on States Parties that they are expected to adopt in conformity with the international norms of human rights. These measures include the obligations to prevent, stop, investigate and punish human rights violations, to provide sufficient compensation and promote the adequate recuperation and reintegration of the victim.
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities in Nicaragua urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the right to life, as well as the safety and physical and psychological integrity of all children and young adults in Nicaragua, including those that live on the streets;
ii. guarantee an immediate investigation into the circumstances of all of the killings, with the goal of identifying those responsible, bringing them before a competent and impartial civil tribunal and applying the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
iii. guarantee respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in compliance with national, regional and international laws, particularly with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Addresses:
- Dr. Enrique Bolaños Geyer, Presidente de la República, Casa de la Presidencia, Avenida Bolívar y Dupla Sur, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax : (+50 5) 228 79 11 ; (+50 5) 228 43 51 ;
E-mail : Presidente@presidencia.gob.ni; prensa@presidencia.gob.ni
- Dr. José Rizo Castellón, Vice-Presidente, Casa de la Presidencia, Avenida Bolívar y Dupla Sur, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax : (+50 5) 228 79 11
- Sr. Oscar Herdocia Lacayo, Procurador General de Justicia, Frente a la Iglesia San Francisco, Managua, Nicaragua.
Telegrams: Procurador General de Justicia, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax: (+50 5) 266 85 54
- Dr. Benjamín Pérez Fonseca, Procurador de los Derechos Humanos, Estatua de Montoya, 2 cuadras arriba, a mano derecha, Managua, Nicaragua. Fax : (+50 5) 266 41 41
E-mail : procuracion@pddh.org
- Ing. Arturo Harding Lacayo, Ministro de Gobernación; Fax: (+50 5) 228 79 11
- Dr. Benjamín Pérez Fonseca, Presidente Comisión de Derechos Humanos en la Asamblea Nacional, Avenida Bolívar, Contiguo a Casa de Gobierno. Fax : (+50 5) 228 10 21
- Diario La Prensa, Apdo. 192, Managua, Nicaragua; Fax : (+50 5) 249 69 26 / 28
E-mail : nacionales@laprensa.com.ni
Please also write to the embassies of Nicaragua in your respective country
Geneva, 19 July, 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.