The family of the president of the Renewing Democratic Union (Unamos) and current political prisoner, Suyen Barahonareported that —after a year and a half of confinement and solitary confinement— the Daniel Ortega regime finally allowed his relative to have a phone call with his five-year-old son, who is with his father living outside the country for security reasons .
The call occurred this Sunday, December 25, during the 13th family visit to the political prisoners locked up in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, known as El Chipote. In that meeting, on the occasion of Christmas, the area of conscience was also able to see a photograph of the child and read a letter from him.
“We want to share that yesterday, December 25, the visit to Suyen took place. She was able to see photos of the child and received a letter. Finally, after a year and a half, she was able to have a call with her son. It was a long-awaited moment for both of them,” said the family of the political prisoner in a press release.
In recent months, the Barahona family maintained a campaign to ensure that the political prisoner could speak to her son on the phone.
The letter also highlights that during the visit, as in the previous one that occurred on December 7 and 8, they received respectful treatment, which they hope “continues to be the daily practice and that communication continues to flow, according to law, and for the well-being of the child”, they add.
“Suyen was with his usual strength of spirit. Of course, the greatest desire of both her little one and her family continues to be to embrace her in freedom, because Suyen and the more than 235 political prisoners are innocent. We thank all the people who have joined our cry and prayers,” the statement concluded.
The relatives of the political prisoners are “waiting” for the meeting to be repeated for the New Year’s celebration, which is why most of them chose not to provide statements until the meeting takes place. Other prisoners with children outside the country were unable to obtain authorization to make a phone call.
Second Christmas in prison
Meanwhile, the family of the sports writer and current political prisoner, Miguel Mendoza, reported that this is the second Christmas that his relative has spent in prison. Last year they weren’t even allowed to have any kind of communication with him, so they—mainly Alejandra, his eight-year-old daughter—felt very excited to see him and hug him this December 25.
“In this difficult, painful and unfair process, we have learned to live in faith and leave everything in God’s hands. We can share that he has heard our prayers, he has witnessed our suffering and even more so that of a girl who, in these 18 months, had only asked for a hug from her father,” warned Margin Pozo, wife of the political prisoner.
During the Christmas visit, Alejandra “felt like the happiest girl in the world,” Pozo said. She expressed to her father many times how excited she was. “My heart is happy, it is beating very fast. I love you daddy! I want you to go with me. I don’t want to leave you here,” said the wife of the political prisoner.
Pozo also emphasized that the four hours that the visit lasted “were short for Miguel and the family.” This time they were able to visit him in addition to Alejandra, four brothers and a nephew, who had seen him for the last time on June 14, 2021. “You can imagine how Miguel felt. He was surprised to see them and happy at the same time, ”he stressed.
13 visits in 19 months
During 19 months in jail, the prisoners of conscience held captive in the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), El Chipote, have only received 13 visits from their relatives; the most recent was held this weekend of December 24 and 25, on the occasion of the Christmas holidays.
The political prisoners managed to see, once again, their minor children, this 17 days after the Ortega regime authorized the first special visit for December 7 and 8 in the context of the celebration of “La Purísima y la Gritería” , according to a police statement.
In the same document, the institution announced that similar visits would be made at Christmas and the end of the year. These three special meetings are the first that the regime has authorized since it imprisoned some thirty social, political, student leaders and presidential candidates, at the end of May 2021, as part of a repressive escalation in the framework of the electoral farce, in which Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, guaranteed to remain in power.
