human rights defender
Urgent support needed
(AI translated) Search for access to international justice
Organization affiliation
- Alianza Universitaria Nicaragüense (AUN)
HRD's year of birth
2000
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Social and community leader
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) University student pursuing a law degree at the Universidad Católica Redemptoris Mater (UNICA), and in 2018, he transferred to the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua) to study the second year of the degree; in addition, he worked as a Support Officer in the notification office of the Nejapa Judicial Complex. When the political crisis began, in April 2018, the young Solís joined the social protests, led by student movements. In that sense, he publicly maintained a critical position against the Nicaraguan authorities and actively denounced the serious human rights violations that were being committed in that country since the beginning of the crisis. Kevin was one of the young people who remained at the facilities of the Managua campuses of the Universidad Politécnica de Nicaragua (UPOLI) and later at that of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN), the latter being the place from which he was violently evicted [https://confidencial.digital/nacion/ortega-lanza-brutal-ataque-contra-estudiantes/]. He is a survivor of the attack on the Divina Misericordia Parish, recorded on July 13, 2018 [https://confidencial.digital/nacion/ortega-lanza-brutal-ataque-contra-estudiantes/]. After the violent eviction from UNAN and due to fear of being detained or killed, the young Solís was forced to remain in safe houses, that is, to live in hiding. He was first detained in November 2018 and released on April 5, 2019. He later rejoins the university student movement and collaborates with the Legal Defense Unit, being kidnapped in February 2020 by people dressed in civilian clothes and taken to the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, where he was accused and sentenced to four years in prison for a common crime he did not commit, being transferred to the La Modelo Penitentiary Center, where he was again subjected to acts of torture until he was deported to the United States on February 8, 2023.
Current Status
Released
Detained since
Jun 2, 2020
Date of release
Jun 2, 2023
Charge(s)
- Other
Sentence
(AI translated) 5 years and 9 months in prison
Latitude: 12.183752347983708
Longitude: -86.08590737952117
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) Jorge Navarro Penitentiary System, known as La Modelo Prison
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) Kevin Solis, both in the first detention (2018) and in the second (2020), was subjected to physical and psychological torture and cruel and degrading mistreatment. During the first detention he was tortured on more than 20 occasions, his arm and foot were cut with a blade (“Gillet”), in addition to receiving blows to his genitals with a taser, he was stripped naked and threatened with sexual abuse, in addition to being held incommunicado for approximately a month and a half; during the acts of torture, he was interrogated and they demanded he make a video to denounce other people, which he refused, so they constantly beat him and the authorities of the Penitentiary System shouted at him “that he would only leave dead.” During his second detention he remained for 2 years and 9 months in maximum-security cells, a cell without access to sunlight or air, subjected to physical and psychological torture, isolated, without allowing him yard time - sun. The food he received was of terrible quality and on several occasions in a state of decomposition and infested with worms, in addition to not allowing him access to medical care that he had been requesting due to the beatings he received from his custodians.
Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) Details of the sentence: 15 months in prison for the crime of obstruction of public services and 8 months in prison for the crime of illegal carrying or possession of firearms or ammunition, in addition to the payment of a fine of three thousand five hundred fifty-eight córdobas and seventy-eight centavos (first accusation); 4 years and 6 months in prison (second accusation).
Released from prison, banished and living in exile in the United States, due to the deprivation of his nationality he acquired Spanish nationality, currently living in Madrid. On November 1, 2025, he reported having been the victim of an attack against him in Spain, where he has been a refugee since 2024, after fleeing political violence in Nicaragua.
According to his account, “The individual was going to shoot until a third person shouted,” The defender stated that an individual, a few meters from his home, pointed a firearm at him. In addition to the weapon, the man was holding a photograph of him on his mobile phone.The man was detained by the police and is under investigation for the events. These events were reported to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, since the defender has provisional measures. In 2024, a petition regarding his case was filed before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is at the merits stage (Case No. 15.828). Kevin faces health problems (Bell's palsy) caused by being subjected to high-stress situations as a consequence of the acts of torture he experienced during his stay in the maximum-security cells of the National Penitentiary System.
Any other relevant documents
(AI translated) Precautionary Measure No. 205-21, Resolution 33/2021, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/mc/2021/res_33-21_mc_205-21_ni_es.pdf
Resolution of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of October 4, 2022, Provisional Measures, Regarding Nicaragua, Matter of 45 Persons Deprived of Their Liberty in 8 Detention Centers Regarding Nicaragua https://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/45personas_se_01.pdf
From Prisoner to Prisoner: Kevin Solís https://www.facebook.com/MiguelMendoza1970/videos/de-preso-a-preso-kevin-sol%C3%ADs/1013616566508411/
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