Status
UNCAT ratification date
5 July 2005
OPCAT ratification date
25 February 2009
NPM designated
Ombudsperson's Office (Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos)
NPM Type
Ombuds Institution
NPM Legal Framework
Presidential Agreement N° 04-2012 (16 January 2012)
Founding legislation of the Ombudsperson's Office (December 1995)
Nicaragua ratified the OPCAT in 2009, after the approval of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the National Assembly. Three years later, in 2012, the Ombudsperson’s office was designated as Nicaragua’s NPM through a presidential agreement.
The SPT conducted a country visit to Nicaragua in May 2014 and will send a confidential report to the authorities.
The SPT member who is the SPT Focal Point for Nicaragua is available here.
NPM Structure
The NPM is a separate unit within the Ombudsperson’s Office, built on the office of the Special Ombudsperson for Prisons. It depends directly on the Ombudsperson and is coordinated by the Special Ombudsperson for Prisons.
The NPM is composed of a Coordinating Commission and a Technical Advisory Team. The Coordinating Commission is in charge of the development of the NPM’s work plan and its follow-up and some of its members conduct visits to places of detention. The Technical Advisory Team provides technical support to the NPM. It is involved in the preparations and also participates in the monitoring visits to places of detention and in the drafting of the visits reports.
Annual reports
The NPM will prepare an annual report and will submit it to the Parliament. Annual reports are available on the NPM's website.
Other Reports
Other reports, such as visits and thematic reports, may be available on the NPM’s website.