Sofía Mayorga, Martha Lira, and Jean Merlo are relatives of four of the 355 fatal victims of Ortega’s repression against social protests in Nicaragua. The three Nicaraguans are in exile due to the siege and persecution against them for demanding justice from the Government.
Despite not being in Nicaragua, and in the midst of the feelings and difficulties that forced migration entails, they continue their struggle for truth, reparation and non-repetition.
Sofía Mayorga: “I cannot return to Nicaragua”
Sofía Mayorga is the mother-in-law of worker Humberto Antonio Parrales Reyes and grandmother of student Noel Ramón Calderón Lagos, both murdered on the night of May 16, 2018 by paramilitaries, near the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua (UPOLI), while returning from looking for a pharmacy on a motorcycle, along with a nephew named Hansell.
Hansell managed to escape, but Humberto, 40, was shot to death and Noel, 19, died of two heart attacks caused by a strong electric shock.
The Government refused to clarify the facts of both deaths, and to demand justice, Sofía, along with her family, were victims of months of surveillance and siege in her home. In December 2018, she decided to go into exile along with two of her children.
“In exile one goes through many difficulties, it’s not like being in your country, but we can’t go back there,” he expresses wistfully.
In Nicaragua, Sofía worked in a free zone, but in Costa Rica she has not been able to find a stable job. Occasionally, she offers her services as a masseuse.
“Sometimes it is difficult because we have to look for daily bread and also find time to go to the seedlings to demand justice,” he says.
Martha Lira: “They were killed for raising their voices”
Martha Lira is the mother of Agustín Ezequiel Mendoza Lira, a 22-year-old man, killed on June 14, 2018 by paramilitaries in Tipitapa, during the cleaning operation.
Ezequiel was a worker in a free zone and became involved in the protests after the murder of his friend Richard Pavón Bermúdez on April 19.
“Do not forget me”, was the phrase that Mendoza repeated to his friends in life.
Martha emigrated to Costa Rica 20 years ago in search of a better future for herself and her two children, but after Ezequiel’s murder, she and her daughter cannot return to Nicaragua due to percussion and threats.
“I feel like an exile now, because we are forced to be in this country,” says Lira, for whom it has been a “very hard blow” not being able to see her family for four years.
In Costa Rica, Martha and her daughter have had to face the high cost of living, devising ways to earn an income.
“I sell products by catalog and now that my daughter is here as a refugee, because she is the only daughter I have, she works and that is how we cover the expenses we have here,” she explains.
Jean Merlo: “We will have justice”
Jean Merlo is the older brother of the 24-year-old student Johnson Merlo, killed by a bullet to the abdomen on June 23, 2018, when he was stationed at one of the barricades located in the 8 de Marzo neighborhood of Managua.
After her brother’s murder, Jean and her family joined the protests to demand justice, but the government responded with threats. In August 2018, Jean went into exile in Costa Rica, after being the victim of a kidnapping perpetrated by paramilitaries.
“Exile is hard for all people, under their own circumstances,” says Merlo, who was unemployed during the first five months of his arrival in Costa Rica.
“But I think it was worth it, because that is preferable to being locked up in a jail,” he adds.
After almost four years of exile, Jean Merlo managed to reunite with his family and today they run a small business.
“I got a job at the National Soccer Federation of Costa Rica, I was there for a year, I resigned, and I started the same thing in advertising,” he says.
Jean is sure that one day he will be able to return to Nicaragua. “I don’t think about leaving very long, because I think about coming back, because I know there will be justice,” he maintains.
Relatives demand justice from exile
The relatives of victims have found in exile an opportunity to raise their voices, without having to expose themselves to the police state that prevails in Nicaragua.
“We take advantage of every space to continue demanding justice in sit-ins, demonstrations, and commemorations,” says Jean.
“Every April 19 we go to the Nicaraguan Embassy to demand justice for our murdered people, justice for our children, freedom for our political prisoners,” says Martha.
“We continue to demand that the murderer come out,” Mayorga emphasizes.
