At least twenty Nicaraguan political prisoners, who have been held for more than 14 months in the cells of El Chipote, were exhibited this Tuesday and Wednesday by the regime’s justice in invented “informative hearings”; however, seven prisoners of conscience are missing —prisoners in the cells of the Directorate of Judicial Assistance (DAJ)— who have not yet been shown by the Ortega dictatorship.
The seven missing are: Maria del Socorro Oviedohuman rights defender; Violet Barn, member of the political council of the Blue and White National Unity (UNAB); the sports journalist miguel mendoza; peasant leaders Peter Mena Y Freddy Navas; the young opponent Yader Parajon; Y Alex Hernandezfrom UNAB.
The opponents, arrested between May and November 2021, have been sentenced to between seven and thirteen years in prison for the alleged crimes of “conspiracy” or “money laundering”. Initially, 39 political prisoners were detained in El Chipote, but 12 —for various reasons— were sent to the home prison regime, so there are only 27.
The presentations have been made exclusively through the Ortega propaganda media, which took photographs and videos during the two “visits” of the political prisoners to the Managua Courts.
In the images, it was possible to observe the unfounded political prisoners in the blue prison clothing, with physical appearances similar to those previously described by their relatives, that is, in extreme thin, pale, aged and emaciated.
Lawyers and human rights defenders have warned that the Criminal Procedure Code (CPP) of Nicaragua does not contemplate the legal figure of “informative hearings”so its convening and carrying out is “illegal” and pursues “political” ends.
These are the prisoners of conscience who have not yet been presented by the regime:
Mary Oviedo
The coordinator of the special legal team of the Permanent Commission on Human Rights (CPDH) was arrested on July 29, 2021 and sentenced to eight years in prison for the alleged crimes of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity” and “spread fake news”.
Oviedo had repeatedly denounced the violation of the human rights of prisoners of conscience, and was in charge of defending peasant leaders detained weeks before his own arrest.
The also former prosecutor mentioned, during her intervention in the trial, the irregularities of her process in charge of the Ortega judge Ulisa Tapia Silva, of the Thirteenth Criminal District Court of Judgment.
Oviedo has demanded, like other political prisoners, that they allow him to see his children and the admission of a book.
Last January, her relatives reported to the CPDH —an organization closed by the regime— that the lawyer was “unrecognizable” due to the ill-treatment to which she was subjected in prison and the scarce 10 minutes of sun each week.
Violet Barn
Violeta Granera, 70 years old, has been detained in El Chipote since June 8, 2021. Despite her age, her chronic problems with high blood pressure, diabetes and a coronary condition, she has not been considered to give her the house for jail, as like other political prisoners with similar conditions.
Granera was sentenced to eight years in prison for the alleged crime of conspiracy to undermine. Her relatives have denounced that her health continues to deteriorate in prison, she has lost weight, dental problems that affect food intake persist, and she has been subjected to constant interrogations.
miguel mendoza
The sports journalist was arrested on June 21, 2021 and sentenced to nine years in prison for alleged “conspiracy to undermine national integrity.” His relatives have demanded that the Ortega regime allow him to see his little daughter, who has been affected by the forced absence of her father.
In the last visit, made from August 26 to 28, his wife, Margin Pozo, denounced that the decrease in the portions of food he receives affects his health. Mendoza suffers from diabetes and hypertension, so he must maintain a proper diet and, on the contrary, he continues to lose weight.
“It shocked me a lot when I saw it because it is thinner. I cannot specify how many pounds he has lost because he told us that they have not taken him to the clinic and he does not know his exact weight, however, physically he looks quite thin. Unfortunately, since the last visit we had, her food portions have decreased,” he stated.
Yader Parajon
The young opponent was arrested on September 4, 2021, when he was trying to leave the country through the border post with Honduras, El Guasaule. He was accused by the Ortega justice of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity” and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Parajón is the brother of the Nicaraguan murdered in May 2018, Jimmy Parajón, in the context of the Civic Rebellion. Both he and his father demanded justice for the death of his brother, joining the Mothers of April Association, but the response they received from the regime was a police siege. His father endures the death of one son and the imprisonment of the other.
Pedro Mena and Freddy Navas
The peasant leaders were arrested along with the former presidential candidate, Medardo Mairena, on July 5, 2021. Mena and Navas were sentenced to ten years in prison for “conspiracy.” This is the second time that the three members of the Peasant Movement are in prison, since in 2018 they were captured and accused of terrorism, but in 2019 they were released as a result of the Amnesty Law created to measure the Ortega regime.
Their families have denounced that, like other political prisoners, the peasants have lost weight and they are concerned about their health due to the conditions in which they find themselves in El Chipote, where in more than a year of imprisonment they have barely received ten visits.
Alex Hernandez
The member of the political council of the UNAB was captured on August 24, accused of “conspiracy” and sentenced to ten years in prison on March 1. This is the second time that Hernández has been in prison, since he was part of the more than 300 prisoners of conscience that the Ortega regime kept in prison since 2018 until it approved a tailor-made Amnesty law and released the majority of prisoners. politicians, including Hernandez.
