UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says groups linked to Nicaragua's government are using "unacceptable" lethal force against citizens and is urging an end to violence that has killed at least 275 people in months of protests.
In the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, hundreds of people have taken to the streets demanding justice for victims of the violent crackdown on protests against President Daniel Ortega, after 12 more people were killed over the weekend.
"It's evident that there is a shocking number of deaths and a lethal use of force by entities tied to the state that is unacceptable," Guterres told a news conference in neighbouring Costa Rica.
"It's essential to immediately halt the violence and rebuild national political dialogue. Only a political solution is acceptable," Guterres added, speaking at the 40th anniversary of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
At least 275 people have died since unrest broke out in April, according to the Nicaraguan rights group CENIDH, when Ortega attempted to trim pension benefits. The government later dropped the plan, but its heavy-handed response to the demonstrations sparked a wider protest against Ortega's rule.
The attacks have drawn international condemnation of Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla leader facing his biggest test in office since he returned to power in 2007.
Ortega says he is open to dialogue, and has invited the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to verify his assertion that human rights have been respected in the country.
Violence surged again over the weekend when armed groups and police loyal to Ortega burst into universities occupied by protesters and smashed roadblocks set up in defiance of the government.
In a statement on Monday, the US State Department called on Ortega's government to heed Nicaraguans' call for democratic reforms immediately and hold elections.
Australian Associated Press