On June 16, 2003 la Comisión Interamericana, presented the Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) with an accusation against the Nicaraguan government for not allowing “Yatama” candidates, an indigenous political party, to participate in November 2000 elections. The Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL) and the Centro Nicaragüense de los Derechos Humanos (CENIDH) filed the case against the Nicaraguan government in 2001 for not recognizing the political rights of indigenous populations. The case marks the first time that a national government has been brought to the highest ranking regional court for the violation of indigenous political rights.
