The journalist and former candidate for the presidency of Nicaragua, Cristiana Chamorro, was sentenced this Monday by a court to eight years in prison, after being found guilty of crimes attributed to her by the government of Daniel Ortega.
Cristiana, 68, will continue under house arrest, a regime in which she has been since last June, reported the independent Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh), which follows the processes against detained opponents.
His conviction is for crimes such as money laundering and misappropriation. Authorities have not released details of the convictions.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the crimes would have been committed through the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH), an NGO that bears the name of the former president of Nicaragua (1990-1997) and mother of Cristiana, dedicated to promoting press freedom. and expression
This Monday, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, Cristiana’s brother, was also sentenced for the same Foundation case. He received a 9-year sentence and will remain incarcerated in the prison of the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ) of the Police, known as El Chipote.
Two employees of the foundation, inoperative since last year, and Cristiana’s driver also received sentences of up to 13 years.
Cristiana and the three officials “were imposed million-dollar fines” that are “impossible to pay, and if they are commuted, it would be equivalent to life imprisonment,” said the Cenidh.
Cristiana had already denied the charges, and assured that the case against her was built for having tried to “serve Nicaraguans” as a candidate for the presidency in last November’s elections.
She was arrested on June 2, days after announcing her intention to register as a pre-candidate for the presidency of the right-wing Citizens for Freedom alliance (CXL).
She was one of the favorites to compete against the re-election of Ortega, a 76-year-old former guerrilla who has governed since 2007 and who last November won a fourth consecutive term.
Cristiana Chamorro was one of the seven presidential hopefuls arrested along with 39 other opponents last year on charges, mostly, of attacking “national integrity.”
The opponents have been tried under the protection of a Law for the Defense of Sovereignty, approved in 2020 by the Congress that controls the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).
The opposition and the international community consider that the arrests were politically motivated and sought to ensure Ortega’s continuity in power.
