The imprisoned Nicaraguan sports journalist Miguel Mendoza, a critic of the government of President Daniel Ortega, began a hunger strike in protest so that the authorities allow him to see his eight-year-old daughter, whom he has not seen for 15 months, they reported. their families.
In a public statement, the relatives of the sports writer assured that Mendoza began his fast last Monday in the “El Chipote” police prison, officially known as the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, located south of Managua.
“Miguel has stated that, if he was not allowed to see the girl before September 19, he would start a hunger strike, until he is allowed to meet Alejandra again,” said the relatives, who were authorized to visit Mendoza on September 27. last august.
The journalist was detained by the National Police in June 2021 in the midst of a wave of arrests against dissident leaders, opposition candidates for the Presidency, and independent professionals, prior to the general elections in which Ortega was re-elected.
Related news: Miguel Mendoza submits to a hunger strike to be authorized to see his daughter
Last February, Mendoza was sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiracy to undermine national integrity to the detriment of the Nicaraguan State and society.
Mendoza’s relatives affirmed that, after almost 15 months of not seeing her father, the minor suffers “physical and emotional effects that this cruel and forced separation has caused in the girl.”
The separation between father and daughter is total, according to relatives, since the journalist is not allowed to exchange written messages or drawings with his daughter.
One of the messages written by the minor was: “Hello daddy, I have recorded videos, I have made drawings, hoping that someone can show them to you. My heart suffers a lot, because I haven’t seen you for more than a year. Love you”.
Related news: “May my eyes soon see his face, give me a giant hug”, the prayer of Miguel Mendoza’s daughter
The journalist’s defense has filed 11 appeals to enforce the right of visitation in prison that the father and daughter have, but they have not received a response, the relatives noted.
Last August, the activist Tamara Dávila and the journalist Miguel Mora, who like Mendoza are considered “political prisoners” by humanitarian organizations, were able to see their respective children after starting hunger strikes.
Data endorsed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) indicate that in Nicaragua there are more than 200 “political prisoners”, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez -whose case is followed by Pope Francis-, and seven other priests since 2018.
Nicaragua is experiencing a crisis that left at least 355 dead in its first year, according to the IACHR, and worsened last November with the elections in which Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, were re-elected to their positions, with seven of them his potential rivals in prison and two in exile.
