Nicaragua revokes thousands of lawyers' licenses in crackdown on dissent

The government of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo has removed the professional licences of hundreds to possibly thousands of Nicaraguan lawyers. United Nations legal expert Reed Brody described the action as a “purge of the legal profession”, noting that the revocations were entered into the Supreme Court registry without any official notice.

Exiled lawyer Juan Diego Barberena, who lives in Costa Rica, confirmed that at least 20 of his colleagues had lost their accreditation and that many more are likely affected. The deletions target not only lawyers who have represented political prisoners or criticized the regime, but also some practising criminal or family law and even lawyers living abroad.

Human‑rights observers say the move extends a broader pattern of repression that began after the 2018 protests, including the jailing of opponents, the shutdown of NGOs, and the stripping of citizenship from thousands. International organisations have condemned the revocations as an attempt to silence legal defence and undermine the country’s remaining checks on state power.