Nicaragua lawyers lose 2,000 permits, reports say

Lawyers and Nicaragua's exile media said the government has revoked work permits for 2,000 lawyers without explanation, removing them from the Supreme Court of Justice registry and stopping them from practising.

Daily La Prensa reported that the names were removed in recent days. One affected lawyer told AFP anonymously that the measure was a political message of control and repression against people identified as defenders of democracy.

AFP learned of an incident in which a lawyer arrived at court for a case and was told he no longer had a licence.

Reed Brody, a member of a UN group monitoring human rights in Nicaragua, said the removals were carried out without notice and due process and were shutting down one of the last channels of defence available to citizens.

The opposition group Liberales Nicaragua also condemned the measure, saying it subordinated the legal profession to the Ortega-Murillo government.

The government and the Supreme Court had not issued an official statement on the accusations.