Nicaragua is withdrawing from the Central American Parliament, deepening its isolation as it faces charges of rampant human rights abuses. The foreign ministry announced the move on Saturday, October 4.

The ministry said it would denounce the 1987 treaty that set up the six-country parliament “in the full exercise of its sovereignty”. It said the move takes immediate effect.

The decision followed a resolution on Friday from the Organization of American States. The OAS called on Nicaragua to free political prisoners and restore civil liberties.

Nicaragua left the OAS in 2023. It said the body had become a tool of US interventionism. In 2025, it said it would leave the United Nations Human Rights Council after a UN report flagged violations.

The country has been in crisis since April 2018, when police crushed protests. More than 350 people died and 2,000 were injured. Thousands were detained or fled.

Daniel Ortega has held power since 2007. Last July, his government announced the country would no longer hold elections.