the opponent Yolanda Gonzalez Escobar, originally from Masaya; and Juan Carlos Marquez, de Nandaime and a member of the Nicaraguan University Alliance (AUN), were charged by the Prosecutor’s Office for the crimes of undermining national integrity and cybercrimes.
Both were kidnapped on the night of Saturday, May 13, when they were in their respective homes, to be later transferred to the Managua courts.
Related news: Police kidnap opposition member Yolanda González and AUN member Juan Carlos Márquez
After the “express trial” the opponents were released, in the early hours of this Sunday, but they have to present themselves to sign daily, in a period of six months, at the police station in their city.
sources informed Article 66 that in addition to González and Márquez, another 18 people were also accused that same night by the Ortega justice system. “A judge (without specifying her name) said that everyone was going home to jail and that the phones were under investigation,” said an anonymous source.
Regarding this new measure, the lawyer Yonarqui Martínez explained that the accusation is read at the preliminary hearing, with the aim of knowing if the accusation presented by the Public Ministry (MP) has merits to raise it to a trial.
“The judge must consider that the accusation meets the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code, but within the very nature of the preliminary hearing is that the security measure of the person who is in the process must be reviewed, and it depends on the judge. if he puts a personal or real measure, in this case the opponents have to appear periodically to sign, which means that these are precautionary measures, “said Martínez.
Retaliation for being opponents
This is the second time that Yolanda González has been detained by the Daniel Ortega Police, the first time was on January 15, 2021, when the police officers accused her of having weapons in her home. She was detained for several hours at the Masaya police station before being released.
Related news: They denounce wave of kidnappings in Nicaragua: 57 arbitrary detentions in 10 hours
The citizen, in addition, has been the victim of five illegal raids and a permanent police siege, so that in September 2022, the IACHR granted him precautionary measures, as well as his family.
While Juan Carlos Márquez is an active member of STILLwhich now becomes the object of greater repression by the Police and paramilitaries who maintain permanent surveillance against it.
This is the second wave of mass arrests so far in May. The first was on the third of this month, executed by the Police at the service of the Daniel Ortega dictatorship, where they arrested 57 opponents, among those who are, activists, former politicians, priests and journalists.
Opponents do not rule out that the wave of repression continues, because they assure that the purpose of the Ortega government is to sow terror to silence opposition voices.
