Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights, has issued a dramatically harsh statement in response to Nicaraguan authorities increasingly targeting peaceful protestors and human rights activists with intimidation and violent attacks, including the arrest this week of six members of the Comisión Permanente de Derechos Humanos (CPDH, one of the country’s leading human rights groups).

“The growing number of house searches, arrests and killings carried out by Nicaragua’s police and security forces against members of civil society organizations, including CPDH, is part of the accelerating deterioration of human rights and democratic institutions in Nicaragua,” said Carlos Ponce, director of Latin America programs at Freedom House. Freedom House went as far as to recommend three specific actions:

1. The United States should impose sanctions — including bans on travel to the United States, and asset freezes through the Global Magnitsky Act — against leading figures in the government of President Daniel Ortega.
2. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights should develop measures to protect CPDH staff from arbitrary arrest.
3. The Organization of American States and Nicaragua’s neighbors should condemn the abuses and press for an immediate end to the violence.

According to Ponce, “the government, which press outlets hold responsible for the deaths of nearly 100 demonstrators since mid-April, should immediately release the CPDH members and end its targeting of youth and religious leaders and human rights activists.” According to Freedom House’s ranking system, Nicaragua is rated Partly Free in Freedom in the World 2018, and Partly Free in Freedom of the Press 2017.