The former vice chancellor of Nicaragua, Víctor Hugo Tinoco, and the student leader, Max Jerez, were sentenced to 13 years in prison and disqualification from public office, for the alleged commission of the crime of “undermining national integrity”, according to the Ortega justice, confirmed the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh). The hearings were held on the afternoon of this Monday, February 21, at the prison facilities of the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), known as El Chipote.
The Nicaraguan University Alliance (AUN), of which Jerez is its president, described as “farce” the political trial of the student leader. “Max has not committed any crime, he was sentenced for being an opponent and publicly expressing his criticism of the human rights violations of the Ortega and Murillo dictatorship”reads a statement, posted on his Twitter account.
They also point out that in the hearing in charge of the judge, Nadia Camila Tardencilla, the right to defense was prevented. The witnesses were police officers and the evidence, Jerez’s interviews in the media and his posts on social networks.
#Release | Judge Nadia Camila Tardencilla Rodríguez sentenced Max Jerez to 13 years in prison and disqualification from holding public office. pic.twitter.com/N7ZYTKEoA1
– AUN (@AUNNicaragua) February 21, 2022
Tinoco and Jerez were convicted on February 11, during the second week of political trials, which began on the 1st of this month in El Chipote. In three weeks of hearings, considered “illegal” by legal specialists and relatives of prisoners of conscience, the regime’s justice has declared guilty of fabricated crimes against 20 political prisoners and sentenced 15 of them to sentences of eight to thirteen years in prison.
During Tinoco’s trial, the Prosecutor’s Office presented three police officers and members of the DAJ as witnesses, who basically only narrated the investigations they carried out. They presented as evidence, two videos of interviews that the former vice chancellor gave to Channel 10; in one of them he assured that “nobody is waiting for a foreign invasion”, confirmed CONFIDENTIAL.
Jerez, in his audience, only managed to say: “history will show us the place where we should be. With dignity and honor I take on this challenge in prison, because every change requires sacrifice.”
His aunt, Blanca Meza, was present at the trial, which he described as a “circus”, because he assured that the judicial processes have been premeditated, with the approval of “sinister and disastrous” laws, aimed at arresting, accusing, prosecuting and convicting to all. This Monday, AUN pointed out that the pressures of the dictatorship to affect the physical and psychological state of the student leader have not achieved their objective.
The capture of Tinoco was part of a political hunt against the leaders of Unamos, which included the former president of that political party, Ana Margarita Vijil —sentenced to ten years in prison—; the president of Unamos, Suyén Barahona-sentenced to eight years in prison; the founder and ex-guerrilla, Dora María Téllez —sentenced to eight years in prison—; the member of the Blue and White National Unity, Tamara Dávila; and the retired general and guerrilla commander, Hugo Torres, who died on Friday, February 11 as a political prisoner of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Jerez was captured on July 5, 2021 while in a safe house. The young man lived in prison the pain of not assisting his mother, Heidi Meza, in the last days of his life. His mother died on September 17 from a pleural effusion and pneumonia. The regime did not give him permission to attend the funeral.
