The seventh criminal court judge of Managua, Abelardo Alvir Ramos, at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, ordered 90 days of detention to investigate the two drivers of the newspaper La Prensa kidnapped by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo last Wednesday, July 6 .
“The prosecutor handling the case is Manuel Rugama, the same one who was in charge of the accusation against the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH), in whose process he interrogated dozens of journalists,” the media outlet said.
They also affirm that both La Prensa workers remain in the cells of the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ) known as El Chipote and “it is unknown what they are accused of.”
“The protection of guarantees hearing for the two drivers of the newspaper, whose names we omit at the request of their families, was held on Friday, July 8 at 5:00 pm; and in it they decreed 90 days of judicial detention to continue investigating. In the absence of evidence to build an accusation, the Public Ministry extended the term of the investigation to be able to build a case against the detainees,” La Prensa explained on its website.
They detail that as has happened in the guardianship hearings of all political prisoners, defenders were not allowed to enter either. “It is assumed that both prisoners were accompanied by lawyers from the Public Defender’s Office,” the publication states.
Hunt against La Prensa
Both workers are victims of a hunt that the Ortega Murillo regime unleashed since last Wednesday, July 6, against the workers of La Prensa, after a team covered the expulsion to Costa Rica of 18 nuns from the Missionaries of Charity order. , founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
“The driver who mobilized the journalistic team was kidnapped from his family’s house at nightfall on Wednesday, July 6. The other driver of the newspaper, who was not involved in the coverage, was also detained by police around midnight, “said the newspaper after the kidnapping.
Subsequently, police patrols arrived at the house of the reporter who covered the expulsion of the nuns and the home of a photographer was also raided during the early morning hours.
“The Press demands respect for the laws, the release of the detainees and the cessation of the persecution of the newspaper’s staff who only carry out their work, without committing any crime,” the media outlet insisted on Saturday.
