Nicaragua says it will withdraw from Central American Parliament

By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated Press. Published On 4 Oct 20264 Oct 2026.

Key points

• Nicaragua pulled out of the OAS in 2023 and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in 2025 over criticisms of the country's human rights record.
• The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday that it would exit the six-country parliament, established to assist promote human rights and democracy in Central America.
• A critic of the Ortega administration, Rivera was detained for 32 months with minimal contact with his family before dying in May.
• The administration of US President Donald Trump has additionally been vocal in denouncing the Nicaraguan government's abuses, including Rivera's death.
• In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio published a statement calling Nicaragua's administration a "dictatorship" after it unveiled it would abolish the country's upcoming elections.

As President Daniel Ortega and his co-president and wife, Rosario Murillo, consolidate power, nicaragua's administration has confirmed it will withdraw from the Central American Parliament, a key regional body.

For context, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday that it would exit the six-country parliament, established to assist promote human rights and democracy in Central America.

In practice, the announcement comes shortly after Friday's passage of a resolution at the Organization of American States (OAS), calling on Nicaragua to restore civil rights and release political prisoners.

Meanwhile, the Nicaraguan administration, even so, noted Saturday's action was "in the full exercise of its sovereignty".

Authorities stated the decision would take effect immediately, the latest in a series of withdrawals from regional and international organisations the country has undertaken.

Meanwhile, the Ortega-Murillo administration has accused such international groups of being vehicles for outside intervention.

Nicaragua pulled out of the OAS in 2023 and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in 2025 over criticisms of the country's human rights record. It has deteriorated during Ortega's tenure.

Ortega has been accused of using the state to target critics and dissidents, including through imprisonment, torture and exile.

When Ortega began a sharp crackdown on protests and dissent, a UN report published in September identified the administration was responsible for at least eight deaths in custody since 2018.

Meanwhile, the report additionally detailed inconsistencies in the government's account of in-custody deaths, including that of Indigenous Miskito leader Brooklyn Rivera.

For context, a critic of the Ortega administration, Rivera was detained for 32 months with minimal contact with his family before dying in May.

In practice, the administration blamed his death on the effects of a previous case of COVID-19, an assessment the Physicians for Human Rights group called "not medically coherent".

"A State that resorts to enforced disappearance and allows persons to die in its custody falls short of the minimum human rights standards required for credible democratic governance, " remarked Jan-Michael Simon, the group's chair.

Meanwhile, the administration of US President Donald Trump has additionally been vocal in denouncing the Nicaraguan government's abuses, including Rivera's death.

He additionally framed the Ortega-Murillo administration as a threat to US national security. "Ortega's pledge to abolish elections in Nicaragua proves his cowardice and fear of the Nicaraguan people's will, " Rubio wrote.

But the Trump administration has come under criticism for seeking to deport Nicaraguan citizens who were expelled under Ortega's leadership.

Human Rights Watch lately cautioned that the Trump administration had detained eight Nicaraguan nationals for deportation, seven of whom were among 222 political prisoners flown into exile in the US in February 2023, during former President Joe Biden's administration.

Nicaragua subsequently stripped them of their citizenship and branded them as "traitors" to the country. The Ortega administration additionally seized any property they had in the country.

Human Rights Watch pressed the Trump administration not to deport the eight detainees, warning that they could face abuse if they were returned to Nicaragua. Four of the detainees reportedly have pending asylum cases.

"After offering refuge to these critics of the Nicaraguan government just three years ago, the United States is now detaining and threatening to deport them, " Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, remarked in an official note.

"International law prohibits the United States from returning anyone to face the threat of persecution or torture. US authorities should not be trying to send these men back into danger."

Taken together, the developments around nicaragua says it will withdraw from Central American Parliament point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.