A/HRC/RES/52/2 2018: murder, imprisonment, torture, deportation, rape and other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity, and persecution, Expressing alarm at the continuing democratic backsliding and sociopolitical and human rights crisis in Nicaragua, and also at the erosion of the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers, and their multidimensional impact on the enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, Expressing concern at the continuous refusal of Nicaragua to cooperate with international and regional human rights mechanisms, particularly the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, including its regional office in Central America, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua and the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, and recognizing that this refusal continues to create a protection gap in the country, Expressing serious concern at the continued disregard of Nicaragua for its international human rights obligations, including its failure to engage with and submit periodic reports to the relevant treaty bodies, most recently by refusing to cooperate with both the Committee against Torture and the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and even questioning the legitimacy of the treaty body system as a whole, Expressing concern at the decision of Nicaragua to interrupt its engagement with international human rights mechanisms and its denunciation of regional instruments, and recalling that, as its obligations under legally binding instruments remain in force, the competent human rights mechanisms will continue to exercise their mandates to monitor the country, Expressing grave concern at the violations of civil and political rights in the lead-up to and during the municipal elections held in November 2022, in contravention of the obligations of Nicaragua to uphold the right of every citizen to take part in the conduct of public affairs and to vote and be elected in genuine periodic elections, including the failure of the Government of Nicaragua to implement electoral and institutional reforms aimed at guaranteeing free and fair elections, carried out in a transparent manner, the adoption and continued use of legal provisions that explicitly aim, or may be used, to restrict the ability of Nicaraguan citizens to participate in the political process, the exclusion from participation of political parties whose legal status has been arbitrarily cancelled, the wave of arrests and disqualifications of political opponents in the months leading up to the elections, acts of violence and intimidation to coerce voters, including by setting up check points around polling stations to track voters and denying access to the polling stations to persons perceived as political opponents, and the widespread political violence during the entire process, Expressing serious concern at the aggravated situation of those who have been forcibly displaced and the continuing trend in forced displacement, commending neighbouring and other States in the region for their continued efforts to host and welcome Nicaraguan migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, while acknowledging the associated socioeconomic consequences and challenges for those States and their citizens, Expressing grave concern at the adoption and continued use of legal provisions that explicitly aim, have been used or may be used to restrict the ability of Nicaraguans to exercise their fundamental freedoms; at the broad scope of the Amnesty Law of 2019; and at the implementation of legislation by the Government of Nicaragua, including the amendments to some provisions of the Criminal Code and the enactment of the Foreign Agents Registration Law, the Law on Cybercrimes, Law No. 977 on Combating Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Law No. 1055 on the Rights of People to Independence, Sovereignty and Self-Determination for Peace, and Law No. 1115, the General Law on the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organizations, the amendment of article 21 of the Constitution and the adoption of Law No. 1145 on the Loss of Nicaraguan Nationality, all of which, contrary to international human rights law, hinder victims of human rights violations from exercising their right to an effective remedy, which may include reparations and full disclosure of the truth, and further restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, of association, of peaceful assembly and of movement, the right to a nationality, the right to take part in the conduct of public 2