Nicaraguan justice accused seven people – four priests, two seminarians and a cameraman from the Diocese of Matagalpa – of the alleged crime of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity and spread false news,” reported Tuesday, October 4, the former official of the Judiciary and today critical of President Daniel Ortega, Yader Morazán.
The accusation was filed on September 21, however until now they were revealed due to the secrecy imposed by the justice system related to Ortega, Morazán indicated.
These seven people were together with the bishop Rolando Alvarez in the Archbishop’s Curia of Matagalpa, but they were hindered his departure from August 4. A day later, the National Police issued a statement stating that they were being investigated for “organizing violent groups.”
But both Bishop Álvarez and his companions were taken from the curia in the early morning hours of August 19. Álvarez, who has not been charged so far, was taken to a house in Managua, where he remains incommunicado, while the seven people who accompanied him were transferred to the El Chipote prison.
The accused priests are Sadiel Antonio Eugarrios Cano, Ramiro Tijerino Chávez, José Luis Díaz Cruz and Raúl Vega González.
Also to the deacon Raúl Antonio Vega, the seminarians Darvin Leiva Mendoza and Melkin Centeno, and the cameraman Sergio Cadena Flores.
The accusation was exposed in a hearing by the prosecutor Manuel de Jesús Rugama Peña, who has also accused other political prisoners in the country.
Judge Nalia Úbeda Obando, head of the fifth criminal hearing court in Managua, convened the initial hearing on Friday.
According to Morazán, “this time they simulated a little more” the legality of the judicial process, but he indicated that “they always held clandestine hearings with imposed defenses” and published the minutes 11 days after the hearing.
More accused opponents
At the same time, the Judiciary reported on the accusation of at least 13 opposition members and relatives of opponents for “conspiracy to undermine” and “propagation of false news.”
The accusation presented by the Nicaraguan Prosecutor’s Office was admitted by the criminal hearing district judge Rolando Sanarrusia.
Among those accused of both crimes are two French citizens, Jeannine Horvilleur Cuadra and Ana Carolina Álvarez Horvilleur, wife and daughter of the opponent Javier Alberto Álvarez Zamora, for whom an arrest warrant was issued.
Freddy Martín Porras García, brother of an opposition leader, José David Gallo Torrez, José Javier Álvarez Argüello, Nicolás Palacios Ortiz, Hugo Ramón Rodríguez Flores and Félix Ernesto Roiz Sotomayor were also accused.
For the crime of undermining national integrity, the Public Ministry accused Adolfo Ramón García Ramírez, Gabriel Alfonso López del Carmen, Andrea Margarita del Carmen Ibarra (who also had an arrest warrant issued) and Arnulfo José Somarriba Aguilar.
Nicaragua has been experiencing a political crisis since 2018 when protests arose against President Daniel Ortega.
Since then, justice, accused of being controlled by the president, who has been in power for more than 15 consecutive years, has accused more than 200 opponents considered political prisoners.
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