human rights defender
Oscar René Vargas Escobar
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Urgent support needed
(AI translated) Access to justice
Organization affiliation
- Asociación de Estudios Latinoamericanos (LASA)
HRD's year of birth
1946
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Other
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Economic, social and cultural rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) Oscar René Vargas received his Ph.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has been a professor at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, the Central American University, the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua, and the National Engineering University, among others. Among his various international appointments, Dr. Vargas worked with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme, and he served as an advisor to the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 2008-2009. Dr. Vargas began his political life in the 1960s, participating in the struggle against the Somocista dictatorship. In 1967, he hid Daniel Ortega from the Somocista state security forces, saving him from prison. He participated throughout the 1970s in the struggle against the dictatorship. From 1979 to 1990, he served as a political advisor to the Sandinista National Directorate, the highest decision-making body of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). He broke with Ortega's government in 2008 due to his criticisms of democratic procedure violations and the government's history of human rights abuses. Vargas went into exile in Costa Rica in 2018 after learning that the Daniel Ortega government had issued an arrest warrant against him because of his public criticism of the Ortega regime. As of April 2022, he had undergone heart surgery and had a pacemaker installed, requiring constant medical attention. Vargas is the author of 36 books and co-author of another 20. He has also published over 1,000 opinion pieces, research papers, presentations, and essays in Nicaraguan, Central American, Mexican, Argentine, Uruguayan, North American, European, and Taiwanese newspapers and journals. He was a co-founder of the FSLN. In 2008, the Daniel Ortega government appointed him Nicaragua's Ambassador to France, but he was removed from the position months later for giving an interview to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa. He has been a constant critic of the national situation, especially the sociopolitical crisis that began in 2018. On November 22, 2022, he was detained and charged on December 9 with "conspiracy to harm national integrity," "provocation to commit rebellion," and "spreading false news."
Detained since
Nov 22, 2022
Date of release
Sep 2, 2023
Charge(s)
- Spreading fake news
- Subversion
Latitude: 12.096942985994628
Longitude: -86.2812758311463
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean
Location of detention - City/Town
Managua
Location of detention - Facility
Dirección de Auxilio Judicial «Evaristo Vásquez» conocido como el Nuevo Chipote
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) Elderly person, 76 years old, with previous chronic health conditions before his arrest. He was violently detained on November 22, 2022, at the home of one of his sisters, where police officers aggressively entered the residence heavily armed with machine guns, without a search warrant or an arrest warrant for the police officers. Two days before his detention, Vargas had shared two analyses on his personal blog: "How to Interpret the IMF Report on Nicaragua's Economy?" and "The Strategy for the Liberation of All Political Prisoners". Family members learned of his whereabouts two days after his detention at the facilities of the Directorate of Judicial Assistance in Managua. A preliminary hearing was held to open the process without notifying his family, and a public defender was appointed as his legal defense, scheduling an initial hearing for December 9, 2022, where they were notified that the charged offenses were: conspiracy to commit damage to national integrity, provocation to commit rebellion, and spread of false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua and Nicaraguan society. At the time of his arrest, Vargas Escobar was an elderly person, 76 years old, with chronic heart disease, hypertension, and glaucoma. He had undergone surgery for a pacemaker implant in April 2022 and has a hernia between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae. During his stay in prison, he was subjected to prolonged interrogations, slept on a concrete slab, without a blanket to protect him from the cold. He was subjected to severe emotional stress and did not receive adequate medical attention, which aggravated his illnesses. He was a victim of "white torture" because he did not receive proper and timely medical attention, considering that Vargas has a pacemaker installed, which required monitoring. They also failed to take into account that he had cataracts. He was one of four prisoners over 70 years old. Vargas is part of the group of 222 political prisoners whom the Daniel Ortega regime released and exiled to the United States on February 9, 2023.
Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) On November 24, 2022, he was charged by the Public Prosecutor's Office, and at the time of his release, his case was in the first instance. He had not yet been sentenced to prison terms.
Exiled, denationalized, and confiscated. On 10/02/2023, the defense attorney received a judicial notice where Mr. Vargas is declared a traitor to the Fatherland and his civic rights are disabled. He is part of the 222 political prisoners exiled on February 9, 2023, to the United States. Currently, he is in exile and due to the deprivation of his nationality, he assumed Spanish nationality.
Any other relevant documents
(AI translated) The IACHR Grants precautionary measures in favor of Oscar René Vargas Escobar in Nicaragua https://www.oas.org/en/iadh/jsForm/?File=/en/iadh/press/ comunicados/2022/286.asp
Precautionary Measures No. 991-22, Resolution 76/2022, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights https://www.oas.org/en/iadh/decisions/mc/2022/res_76-22_mc_991-22_ni_en.pdf
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1946
- HRD's Gender
- Man
- Type of HRD
- Other
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Economic, social and cultural rights
- Organization affiliation
- Asociación de Estudios Latinoamericanos (LASA)
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) Oscar René Vargas received his Ph.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has been a professor at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, the Central American University, the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua, and the National Engineering University, among others. Among his various international appointments, Dr. Vargas worked with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme, and he served as an advisor to the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 2008-2009. Dr. Vargas began his political life in the 1960s, participating in the struggle against the Somocista dictatorship. In 1967, he hid Daniel Ortega from the Somocista state security forces, saving him from prison. He participated throughout the 1970s in the struggle against the dictatorship. From 1979 to 1990, he served as a political advisor to the Sandinista National Directorate, the highest decision-making body of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). He broke with Ortega's government in 2008 due to his criticisms of democratic procedure violations and the government's history of human rights abuses. Vargas went into exile in Costa Rica in 2018 after learning that the Daniel Ortega government had issued an arrest warrant against him because of his public criticism of the Ortega regime. As of April 2022, he had undergone heart surgery and had a pacemaker installed, requiring constant medical attention. Vargas is the author of 36 books and co-author of another 20. He has also published over 1,000 opinion pieces, research papers, presentations, and essays in Nicaraguan, Central American, Mexican, Argentine, Uruguayan, North American, European, and Taiwanese newspapers and journals. He was a co-founder of the FSLN. In 2008, the Daniel Ortega government appointed him Nicaragua's Ambassador to France, but he was removed from the position months later for giving an interview to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa. He has been a constant critic of the national situation, especially the sociopolitical crisis that began in 2018. On November 22, 2022, he was detained and charged on December 9 with "conspiracy to harm national integrity," "provocation to commit rebellion," and "spreading false news."
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Managua
- Location of detention - Facility
- Dirección de Auxilio Judicial «Evaristo Vásquez» conocido como el Nuevo Chipote
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 12.096942985994628
Longitude: -86.2812758311463
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Nov 22, 2022
- Current Status
- Released
- Date of release
- Sep 2, 2023
- Charge(s)
- Spreading fake news
- Subversion
- Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) On November 24, 2022, he was charged by the Public Prosecutor's Office, and at the time of his release, his case was in the first instance. He had not yet been sentenced to prison terms.
Exiled, denationalized, and confiscated. On 10/02/2023, the defense attorney received a judicial notice where Mr. Vargas is declared a traitor to the Fatherland and his civic rights are disabled. He is part of the 222 political prisoners exiled on February 9, 2023, to the United States. Currently, he is in exile and due to the deprivation of his nationality, he assumed Spanish nationality.
- Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) Elderly person, 76 years old, with previous chronic health conditions before his arrest. He was violently detained on November 22, 2022, at the home of one of his sisters, where police officers aggressively entered the residence heavily armed with machine guns, without a search warrant or an arrest warrant for the police officers. Two days before his detention, Vargas had shared two analyses on his personal blog: "How to Interpret the IMF Report on Nicaragua's Economy?" and "The Strategy for the Liberation of All Political Prisoners". Family members learned of his whereabouts two days after his detention at the facilities of the Directorate of Judicial Assistance in Managua. A preliminary hearing was held to open the process without notifying his family, and a public defender was appointed as his legal defense, scheduling an initial hearing for December 9, 2022, where they were notified that the charged offenses were: conspiracy to commit damage to national integrity, provocation to commit rebellion, and spread of false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua and Nicaraguan society. At the time of his arrest, Vargas Escobar was an elderly person, 76 years old, with chronic heart disease, hypertension, and glaucoma. He had undergone surgery for a pacemaker implant in April 2022 and has a hernia between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae. During his stay in prison, he was subjected to prolonged interrogations, slept on a concrete slab, without a blanket to protect him from the cold. He was subjected to severe emotional stress and did not receive adequate medical attention, which aggravated his illnesses. He was a victim of "white torture" because he did not receive proper and timely medical attention, considering that Vargas has a pacemaker installed, which required monitoring. They also failed to take into account that he had cataracts. He was one of four prisoners over 70 years old. Vargas is part of the group of 222 political prisoners whom the Daniel Ortega regime released and exiled to the United States on February 9, 2023.
- Urgent support needed
(AI translated) Access to justice
- Any other relevant documents
(AI translated) The IACHR Grants precautionary measures in favor of Oscar René Vargas Escobar in Nicaragua https://www.oas.org/en/iadh/jsForm/?File=/en/iadh/press/ comunicados/2022/286.asp
Precautionary Measures No. 991-22, Resolution 76/2022, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights https://www.oas.org/en/iadh/decisions/mc/2022/res_76-22_mc_991-22_ni_en.pdf
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
Supporting files
sorted by
Date added
3 relationships, 2 entities