During the forum entitled “Voices of exile-Voices of hope,” human rights defenders denounced and rejected the situation to which Ortega has subjected political prisoners in Nicaragua, whom he “keeps under atrocious conditions, which can be considered as of torture.”
“Detained persons cannot receive visits, they are mistreated, they do not receive medical assistance, they are constantly interrogated, they are subjected to all kinds of psychological and certainly physical torture, they are at the center of the concern of Nicaraguans,” said the director of the International Human Rights Network (Ridh), Ramón Muñoz Castro.
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During his speech, the human rights expert Paulo Abrao stated that “the people who continue to fight for freedom are on the right side of history and are looking for their paths to establish and build a democratic transition, this represents a kind of values that are impressive, no other nation in the region experiences the escalation of repression in this intense way.
Defenders continue to denounce the conditions of torture in “El Chipote” for political prisoners, noting that they reach the point of not being able to talk to each other, it is also extensive to the 10 minutes of sun patio a week they receive and in medical consultations. in the jail clinic.
During the forum, the wife of presidential candidate Félix Maradiaga also spoke, rejecting the “arbitrary detention” against her husband and urging Nicaraguans in exile to unite to “continue fighting for them and realize everyone’s dreams.” She denounces the situation in which her husband finds himself, who does not have “medical attention, they do not give him enough food and he is subjected to terrible conditions.”
Related news: 27 policemen testified against Juan Sebastián Chamorro and Félix Maradiaga
Maradiaga was sentenced along with other opponents to serve 13 years in prison for the alleged crime of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity”, sentenced after seven hearings that began on February 15. During the trial, the Prosecutor’s Office presented 27 police officers as witnesses. They also presented the alleged material evidence, including objects that were obtained during the illegal searches of the prisoners’ houses.
To date, the Ortega justice system holds more than 180 people captive for political reasons, 35 of them are in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance in Managua. Their families have reported that many have medical complications. Their health condition is aggravated by the confinement conditions and the poor diet of which they are victims.
