human rights defender

Carlos Ramón Brenes Sanchez

Actions and Campaigns

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Urgent support needed

(AI Translated) Sue the State of Nicaragua for respect of his physical and psychological integrity, provide proof of life as he has been missing for more than 400 days, and demand his immediate release.

Organization affiliation

  • Frente Amplio por la Democracia (FAD)
  • Grupo Patriótico de Militares Retirados

HRD's year of birth

1955

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) In his youth, Brenes joined the Sandinista guerrilla that fought with arms to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship, which fell on July 19, 1979. He was a founder of the Sandinista Popular Army (EPS) and a former guerrilla comrade of President Daniel Ortega. On May 16, 2018, Brenes, on behalf of retired officers of the defunct EPS, now the Nicaraguan Army, read a proclamation demanding the removal from power of President Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, holding them responsible for the sociopolitical crisis affecting the country.

Current Status

In prison (sentenced)

Detained since

Aug 14, 2025

Charge(s)

  • Treason

Sentence

(AI Translated) 15 years imprisonment

Latitude: 12.186465810362812

Longitude: -86.08020238532649

Geolocation of detention

Country or area of detention

Region of detention

  • Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean

Location of detention - City/Town

(AI Translated) Unknown

Location of detention - Facility

(AI Translated) Unknown

Allegations / reports of ill-treatment

(AI Translated) Both Carlos Brenes and his wife are older adults with chronic illnesses, which worsens their vulnerability in the prison context.

According to the information presented to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Brenes Sánchez’s cell is under constant surveillance with cameras, with continuous lighting that prevents rest, and he is also a victim of alleged psychological mistreatment and threats. It is even reported that he suffered a fall inside his cell and did not receive medical attention. No family member or close associate has had contact with them since their detention, and their health condition is concerning, as, as has happened in other cases, they are not receiving the required medical care to treat the chronic illnesses they suffer from.

Recent case update / evolution

(AI Translated) During his first detention, on February 2 2019 the Public Ministry of Nicaragua requested a 32‑year prison sentence for the crimes of terrorism, organized crime, obstruction of public services, and aggravated damage to the State and Nicaraguan society. He was accused of leading a “terrorist group” that protested against the Ortega Government in the departments of Carazo and Masaya (south) since April 2018, and was tried by the seventh judge of the Managua criminal trial district, Melvin Leopoldo Vargas García.

Brenes, who is coordinator of the Retired Army Movement and a member of the so‑called Democratic Broad Front (FAD), composed of leaders of the former main opposition force in Nicaragua, was first arrested in August 2018 by the Army near the Peñas Blancas border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica and handed over to the National Police. The retired colonel was charged alongside the senior retired army officers Tomás Maldonado Pérez and Roberto Danilo Samcam (killed in Costa Rica), who were released in June 2019 under the Amnesty Law. During his first detention he remained in the National Penitentiary System known as La Modelo.

Since his release in June 2019, he has been subjected to harassment, constant surveillance, persecution, and siege, until he was detained again on August 14 2025 together with his 68‑year‑old wife Salvadora del Socorro Martínez Aburto, both of whom are in a situation of forced disappearance as their whereabouts have not been reliably verified. It is presumed that he is being held in the Jorge Navarro Penitentiary Complex, known as “La Modelo,” while his wife is in the women’s prison “La Esperanza.”

The Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 17/2021 on February 25 2021, granting precautionary protective measures in favor of Carlos Ramón Brenes Sánchez and his family, after finding that their rights were in a situation of grave and urgent risk of irreparable harm in Nicaragua. On April 1 2026 the President of the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights adopted urgent measures in favor of Carlos Brenes and his family, addressing the request for an extension of provisional measures submitted by the IACHR on March 30 2026, and the Court granted provisional measures on April 20 2026.

Any other relevant documents

(AI Translated) Inter-American Court of Human Rights Resolution of April 20, 2026, Request for Extension of Provisional Measures, Case Chavarría Morales and Others v. Nicaragua https://corteidh.or.cr/docs/medidas/chavarria_morales_se_03.pdf

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Resolution 17/2021, Precautionary Measure No. 1076-18, Carlos Ramón Brenes Sánchez and his family regarding Nicaragua, February 25, 2021 https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/mc/2021/res_17-2021_mc-1076-18_ni-es.pdf

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