human rights defender

Rusia Evelyn Pinto Centeno

Urgent support needed

(AI Translated) Access to justice in the context of universal jurisdiction so that your case does not go unpunished

Organization affiliation

  • Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco (UNAB)
  • Unión Democrática Renovadora (UNAMOS)

HRD's year of birth

1959

HRD's Gender

Woman

Type of HRD

  • Social and community leader

HRD's thematic area of engagement

  • Civil and political rights
  • Women's rights

HRD's geographical origin

Urban

HRD's bio and work

(AI Translated) Evelyn Pinto has stood out from an early age as a human rights defender, dedicating her life to the protection of the human rights of children, women, and indigenous communities. She worked in the international cooperation sector on issues related to children, youth, and women’s organizations until 2018. She has promoted gender equality and women’s participation in political affairs. In 2018 she took part in peaceful demonstrations, collaborated in humanitarian work supporting families of people injured, killed, or detained as a result of repression during that year’s social protests. She also had an active presence on social media and in private spaces, expressing critical opinions toward the government regarding the handling of the socio‑political crisis in the country.

Current Status

Released

Detained since

Jun 11, 2021

Date of release

Feb 9, 2023

Charge(s)

  • Spreading fake news
  • Subversion

Sentence

(AI Translated) 8 years imprisonment

Geolocation of detention

Country or area of detention

Region of detention

  • Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean

Location of detention - City/Town

(AI Translated) Tipitapa

Location of detention - Facility

(AI Translated) Comprehensive Women's Prison Facility (EPIM), better known as “La Esperanza”

Allegations / reports of ill-treatment

(AI Translated) On November 6, 2021, she was arbitrarily detained in her home by more than twenty police officers who entered her residence aggressively, searching for phones and forcing family members to delete security camera recordings, without presenting any judicial order, and transferred her to the police station of District III in Managua. On the 21st of the same month she was presented before the judicial authority, accused of the crime of “conspiracy to commit damage to national integrity in real concert for the crime of spreading false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua,” without being allowed a defense lawyer of her choice and remaining isolated from her family until the trial opened. On November 25, she underwent the initial hearing, where she was subjected to verbal aggression by the court police officers, reprimanded for wearing underwear, forced to undress and remove the underwear she was wearing, and made to do squats. On December 1 of the same year, she was transferred to the Integral Women’s Penitentiary La Esperanza (EPIM) and was sentenced on March 11, 2022. During the 25 days she remained in the cells of District III of the National Police, she slept on the prison floor on a stone slab, without sheets or pillows. Toward her, towels were also not allowed. She had no access to any telephone calls, nor visits from family or her lawyer, nor medical care. She was subjected to interrogations for 20 consecutive days, during which she was reportedly subjected to verbal abuse by police agents. She received a visit from her family on December 21, 2021, when she was already transferred to the La Esperanza Penitentiary. At La Esperanza Penitentiary, she was confined in a maximum‑security cell for six months, guarded by a custodian outside her cell, without allowing her any contact with anyone. She was only allowed to go to the courtyard for half an hour three times a week, after which she was transferred to another cell where she shared the space with two other human‑rights defenders until they were released and deported to the United States. Defender Pinto is a survivor of thyroid cancer and had undergone a thyroidectomy, requiring permanent medication; she also suffers from chronic kidney failure and hypertension, requiring systematic examinations to assess her condition and, if necessary, adjust medication dosages. During her time in La Esperanza prison she was held in inadequate detention conditions, lacking the necessary medical care to treat her multiple ailments such as chronic kidney failure, hypertension, hypothyroidism, weight loss, insomnia, muscle pain, throat allergies, respiratory conditions, knee wear, headaches, and tingling in the legs. The few medications she was allowed to receive were not supplied at the scheduled times, causing health complications and keeping her in the prison clinic for more than a week.

Recent case update / evolution

(AI Translated) She was released from prison on February 9, 2023, and exiled to the United States where she remains with her minor daughter. On February 10, 2023, the Nicaraguan government stripped her of her nationality, leaving her stateless, which forced her to apply for Spanish citizenship. On February 4, 2025, she gave testimony before the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights during the hearing held to assess the implementation of measures granted to political prisoners in Nicaragua, reporting on her imprisonment and exile. She also reported the impact on her health, stating that her kidney disease progressed from stage 2 to stage 4, along with other chronic conditions. The https://confidencial.digital/opinion/evelyn-pinto-ante-cidh-me-arrebataron-todo-mi-vida/

Any other relevant documents

(AI Translated) Precautionary Measures No. 506-22, Resolution 38/2022, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/mc/2022/res_38-22%C2%A0_mc_506-22%C2%A0_ni_es.pdf

The IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Russia Evelyn Pinto Centeno in Nicaragua https://www.oas.org/es/CIDH/jsForm/?File=/es/cidh/prensa/comunicados/2022/174.asp

Resolution of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of November 22, 2022, Provisional Measures, Cases of Juan Sebastián Chamorro and Others and 45 Persons Deprived of Their Liberty in 8 Detention Centers, Regarding Nicaragua https://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/45personas_se_02.pdf

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