The relatives of political prisoners made public their “urgent” request to the people of Nicaragua and the international community to “promote all possible actions to achieve the immediate, absolute and guaranteed freedom of our loved ones.”
In a statement released on May 23, the relatives of the prisoners of conscience asked that the regime be asked to “safeguard and protect their lives and integrity, given the situation of extreme gravity and risk in which the detainees find themselves.” They assure that the situation of their relatives “with the passage of time, the extreme deterioration in the physical and emotional health of our imprisoned relatives, both in the Penitentiary Systems and in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, has consistently worsened.”
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Relatives denounce that within the systems there is “a lack of timely and specialized medical care, unhealthy and precarious conditions in cells, consolidation of a policy of mistreatment, punishment and control, permanent isolation and solitary confinement for long periods of time,” who maintain that the regime implements torture and ill-treatment aimed at “wearing down, exterminating or disabling our relatives,” says the document read by press conference.
“This situation is extremely serious, especially taking into account the precedents of unsolved deaths of political prisoners in state custody and others with irreversible damage from their incarceration,” they added.
They will start fasting
The families of the opponents also affirmed that as of May 23 they join in “fasting with a 24-hour relay” in demand for the release of political prisoners and in support of members of the Catholic Church who are victims of harassment. and persecution exercised by the regime. The fast will end on May 30 “in solidarity with the pain of the mothers of April and their unwavering search for justice.”
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To date, the Ortega justice system holds more than 180 people captive for political reasons, 34 of them are in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance in Managua. Their families have pointed out that many have medical complications. Their health condition is aggravated by the confinement conditions and the poor diet of which they are victims.
Faced with this situation, they assure that they will not cease to “collectively demand immediate, unconditional freedom and guarantees for political prisoners. Until their release occurs, we reiterate that their rights must be respected and their lives and physical and emotional integrity must be protected. The policy of torture and extermination must stop.”
