Q24N — In less than six months, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has reformed Nicaragua’s Political Constitution to strip more citizens of Nicaraguan status and the mechanisms for recognition as such, including newborns.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the legislators of the National Assembly of Nicaragua—under orders from Ortega and Murillo—approved a partial constitutional reform establishing that Nicaraguans by birth “will lose their nationality upon acquiring another nationality”, that is t Nicaraguan nationality will be lost upon acquiring another nationality.
Read more: Nicaragua ends dual nationality
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In the so-called “Chamuca” Constitution—approved by the second legislature in February 2025—the dictatorship reduced the articles in the sole Chapter of Title III, on “Nicaraguan nationality,” from eight to four. The reform simplified and concentrated the provisions on nationality into a few articles, and eliminated important details.
Censorship wants you in the dark.
One change that even affects children of Nicaraguan parents is the complete reform of Article 16 to eliminate the exhaustive list of those considered Nicaraguan by birth, leaving this definition subject to a future law on the matter.
The abbreviated Article 16 established that “they are Nicaraguan nationals”:
- Those born in Nicaraguan territory. Exceptions include children of foreigners in diplomatic service, foreign officials in the service of international organizations, or those sent by their governments to work in Nicaragua, unless they opt for Nicaraguan nationality.
- Children of a Nicaraguan father or mother.
- Those born abroad to a father or mother who was originally Nicaraguan, provided they request it after reaching the age of majority or emancipation.
- Infants of unknown parents found in Nicaraguan territory, without prejudice to the corresponding effects once their parentage is known.
- Children of foreign parents born on board Nicaraguan aircraft and vessels, provided they request it.
Article 22 of the Chamuca Constitution establishes that “Nicaraguans are nationals or naturalized. The conditions and requirements will be established in the relevant law.”
However, no legislation on this matter has been enacted as of May 2025.
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The new Constitution also eliminated the following articles from the previous Fundamental Charter:
- Art. 18. The National Assembly may declare foreigners who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary merit in the service of Nicaragua to be nationals.
- Art. 19. Foreigners may be naturalized upon renouncing their nationality and by applying to the competent authority, when they meet the requirements and conditions established by the relevant laws.
- Art. 20. No national may be deprived of their nationality. The status of Nicaraguan national is not lost by acquiring another nationality.
- Art. 21. The acquisition, loss, and recovery of nationality shall be regulated by law.
Stripping of Nicaraguan citizenship
Since February 2023, the Ortega-Murillo regime has stripped Nicaraguan nationality from more than 450 citizens—mostly government critics—whom the dictatorship accuses of being “traitors to the homeland.”
This figure includes the 222 political prisoners exiled in February 2023, approximately 94 citizens denationalized that same year, and the 135 prisoners of conscience who were released and expelled to Guatemala on September 5, 2024.
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In the “Chamuca” Constitution, the dictatorship introduced Article 24, which states “Traitors to the homeland lose Nicaraguan nationality.”
In March 2025, in an interview with CONFIDENCIAL, jurist Reed Brody, a member of the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN), nicknamed “dictator hunter,” also criticized the fact that “no other country in the world uses arbitrary deprivation of nationality for political reasons as it does in Nicaragua.”
“There are other countries where there have been more killings. There are other countries where there is more torture. But unfortunately, Nicaragua is moving toward a complete dictatorship, without dissident voices, without NGOs, without an independent press. So the outlook is very discouraging,” Brody lamented.
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