Nicaraguan human rights advocates Anexa Cunningham and Silvio Prado have called on Sweden to support comprehensive economic sanctions against the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, citing widespread democratic backsliding and systemic repression. During a visit to the Swedish Parliament from November 3 to 6, 2025, the two exiled activists urged European institutions to exclude Nicaragua from the EU–Central America Association Agreement due to repeated breaches of its democratic clause.
Cunningham, a lawyer and representative of the Miskito Indigenous community, emphasized that current policies amount to ethnocide, erasing the autonomy rights once recognized in 1987. She noted that Indigenous populations face targeted violence, forced displacement, and denial of cultural identity under the current regime. Prado, a sociologist focused on civil society development, highlighted the growing number of enforced disappearances among political detainees, describing it as a new level of state cruelty affecting both prisoners and their families.
The delegation was hosted by the Swedish Association for Democracy and Human Rights in Nicaragua (NicaDem), with additional backing from ABF, CARITAS Sweden, Diakonia, and Civil Rights Defenders. Their tour included a civil society conference organized by Amnesty International, meetings with foreign ministry officials, and parliamentary discussions. Public events in Stockholm, themed “Nicaragua: The Forgotten Dictatorship,” drew significant attendance and renewed international attention.
Participants expressed shock over the escalation in violence against marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous groups. While some recalled earlier progress under the Sandinista government, both activists stressed that all prior gains have been reversed. They argued that narrowly targeted sanctions are ineffective and that broader economic measures are necessary to pressure the regime.
Transnational repression was another key concern, including restrictions on return for exiled citizens and rising threats against diaspora communities. The activists urged global forums to prioritize condemnation of these practices and to treat them as urgent human rights violations.
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Activists in Sweden demand Nicaragua’s exclusion from the European Union–Central America Association Agreement, over violations of democracy. n nBy Confidencial n nHAVANA TIMES – Nicaraguan activists Anexa Cunningham and Silvio Prado recommended before the Swedish Parliament that it work in favor of strong economic sanctions and international condemnations against the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in Nicaragua. n nThe activists agreed that there must be strong condemnations for the missing political prisoners and for the repression in Nicaragua, combined with strong economic sanctions, which — they said — is a language the dictatorship understands. They stressed that these should be real and broad sanctions, not merely aimed at a few individuals. n nIn particular, they called for Nicaragua’s exclusion from the Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America, due to violations of the democratic clause. “A regime that implements a systematic policy of forced disappearance of its citizens — which includes killings under police custody — cannot be part of an agreement that has a democratic clause as a condition,” said sociologist and municipal development specialist Silvio Prado in a later communication with CONFIDENCIAL. n nAnexa Cunningham and Silvio Prado visited the Swedish Parliament between November 3 and 6, 2025. Cunningham is a lawyer, originally from the Miskito people of Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast, and chair of the United Nations mechanism for the rights of Indigenous peoples. Prado is a sociologist specializing in civil society and municipal development. n nBoth were invited by the Swedish Association for Democracy and Human Rights in Nicaragua (NicaDem). The invitation was also supported by the educational arm of the Swedish labor movement (ABF), CARITAS Sweden, and the NGOs Diakonia and Civil Rights Defenders. n n“Nicaragua, the forgotten dictatorship” n nThe grey, somewhat cold Swedish autumn was no obstacle for an intense and varied program that began with a civil society conference coordinated by Amnesty International. During the visit, they also met with officials from Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with a group of Swedish parliamentarians. In addition, two public events were organized — both with strong attendance — in the city of Stockholm, under the theme “Nicaragua: The Forgotten Dictatorship.” n nThe purpose of the visit was to provide updated information on the situation in Nicaragua and to promote concrete solidarity actions. The activists emphasized three specific areas: the severe repression against Indigenous peoples and its causes; the situation of civil society; and the new forms of repression by the dictatorship. n nThe systematic brutality against Indigenous peoples surprised many participants. Some recalled the positive steps taken by the Sandinista government in 1987 with the Autonomy Law. n n“Since then everything has gone backwards; nothing remains of that law. The dictatorship respects absolutely none of our rights. They want to crush us, they want to make us disappear as peoples. It is a policy of ethnocide,” said Cunningham, who is exiled and stripped of her Nicaraguan nationality. n nRepression and forced disappearances exposed n nAnother topic that outraged many participants were the new forms of repression the dictatorship is using. Prado described the increase in the number of “missing” among the regime’s political prisoners. n n“This represents yet another level of cruelty, for those detained and for their families. It must be stopped now, with strong international condemnations in every forum — it should be a priority task,” he said. n nThe dictatorship’s migration-related repression (not allowing citizens back to the country) and its transnational repression — including killings and growing insecurity among exiles due to transnational persecution — were also discussed. n nFirst published in Spanish by Confidencial and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.