Human Rights Commission Dismissed Nicaragua’s Case

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in February dismissed a case accusing the government of Costa Rica of discriminating against Nicaraguan immigrants, relieving some of the pressure between the two countries.

The suit, filed by the Nicaraguan government almost two years earlier, accused Costa Rica of denying Nicaraguan immigrants their basic rights, and was based on the deaths of two Nicaraguans in Costa Rica in 2005.

In the first death, a Nicaraguan man was mauled by two Rottweiler guard dogs while police and emergency workers looked on for nearly an hour, allegedly unable to separate the animals from the victim.

In the second incident, a Nicaraguan man was stabbed to death after a group of angry Costa Ricans chased him and friends from a bar, throwing rocks and allegedly yelling anti-Nicaraguan slurs.

The Nicaraguan government’s case was the first in which one country filed against another.

“We are pleased by this resolution,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno during a press conference following the announcement.

The ruling sent “a conclusive message on the history of solidarity of the Costa Rican people with Nicaraguans, and proves wrong the unjust accusations of supposed xenophobia and discrimination made by the former Nicaraguan government,” he said.