Managua, 18 Mar An indigenous leader, who was initially reported missing, was murdered and his body found with signs of torture in northeastern Nicaragua, the Mayangna Sauni Arungka Matumbak Territorial Government, composed of native citizens, reported this Friday. The body of Solomon Lopez Smith was found on the 15th in the place known as Cerro Palan Asan, with broken skull bones, a part of the skin separated from the face, no hair, mutilated ears and fingers of his left hand, fracture in the spine and right hand, open right toes, and shotgun firing holes in the back, detailed the Territorial Government, in a report on what happened. “All this translates into a criminal act, and with hatred they stripped the life of their brother, recognized for defending the communal lands,” stressed the indigenous authorities, who had initially reported that the man had escaped alive after several days kidnapped by alleged “settlers” (land invaders). Lopez Smith was a well-known figure among the indigenous people of Nicaragua and other countries, given his dedication to their communities, and his outstanding work in the sport and culture of indigenous peoples, according to the Mayangna government. “We urge the Ortega-Murillo regime to bring to justice the murderers of indigenous leader Salomón López Smith in Nicaragua. Activists attribute this atrocity to settlers who threaten indigenous communities and act with impunity under the regime. This must stop,” said the U.S. State Department on its Spanish-language Twitter account. ADVERSE SITUATION FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) was not very optimistic about a possible investigation by the Government led by Daniel Ortega, after the Government's majority National Assembly (Parliament) canceled the legal personality of the Center for Justice and Human Rights on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (Cejudhcan), which has denounced the murders of dozens of indigenous people, without being investigated. “The Ortega-Murillo regime, instead of ensuring a relevant investigation into these facts, meeting the demands of communities, and enhancing their economic and social growth, has resolved to attack them, announcing the cancellation of the legal personality of one of the most committed and protective organizations in the region”, the Cenidh pointed out. The Central Government of Nicaragua has not referred to the case. The indigenous territorial government has been in a “state of alert” since last day 11. Recently, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, stated that “Nicaragua's indigenous peoples have continued to suffer violent attacks in the context of territorial disputes, most of them in total impunity”, in a report in which she said she had received information about 11 murders of indigenous peoples in 2021. The Center for Justice and International Law (Cejil) has warned that Nicaragua's indigenous peoples are at risk of being exterminated by the constant invasion of their territories. Indigenous peoples and peoples of African descent in Nicaragua live in 304 communities established in 23 territories, most in the poorest and most isolated areas of the country. CHIEF wpr/rrt
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