Political prisoners of the Directorate of Judicial Assistanceknown as El Chipote, received in the last month food rations reduced to “extremes incompatible with life”, which have caused them “more malnutrition and extreme weight loss”, their relatives denounced after attending the tenth period of visits, authorized by the Ortega regime between August 26 and 28.
“We are extremely alarmed by the drastic reduction in food rations after the last visit, reaching extremes incompatible with life. The increase in the rations reported in our previous statement, not only was not maintained, but was reduced more than ever, causing more malnutrition and extreme weight loss that has us extremely concerned, “said the relatives in a joint statement, disclosed at a conference of press this August 29.
In addition, they denounced that “due to the great fragility and the weakening caused by the policy of imposing hunger, the presence of diseases such as throat and stomach infections has increased.”
After the ninth period of visits, authorized between July 22 and 24, the relatives had revealed an increase in the food rations received by the political prisoners in El Chipote, after as a collective they launched a campaign of spoken word portraits that denounced the emaciated physical condition of prisoners of conscience. However, they said fear that the measure would not be permanent.
Now, knowing that their fears were real, the relatives “urgently demanded an increase in rations, as well as an improvement in the nutritional value of food” for prisoners of conscience.
“If the State does not have the capacity to provide adequate food, we reiterate our willingness to bring this food daily,” they stressed.
Lack of specialized medical care
The relatives of the political prisoners also warned that the persistent lack of specialized medical care, which allows clear diagnoses and treatments, makes prisoners of conscience “develop new diseases and puts their lives at risk.”
Some of the political prisoners who require specialized medical attention are: Pedro Vásquez, Miguel Mendoza, Freddy Navas, Marcos Fletes, Irving Larios, Violeta Granera and Juan Lorenzo Holmann.
Raity Larios, daughter of political prisoner Irvin Larios, denounced that her father’s health continues to deteriorate due to the lack of adequate food and specialized medical care.
“Not only did they reduce his food, in the case of my dad, they took away the diet he had, which was basically that they didn’t give him red meat and included a little vegetables, because he can’t eat red meat because it shoots up.” uric acid, and he has not received specialized medical attention to treat this type of ailment, so we are extremely concerned about this food problem,” Raity said during the press conference.
In addition, he denounced that the political prisoner “does not receive at least 30% of the deliveries we make and we make sure to bring him his drinks every day, which is the only thing they allow us to bring him. So, they play a lot with the issue of deliveries and make our relatives feel as if we have not taken them when they are taken every day.
His health deteriorates “month by month”
Chrystal Munguía, wife of Juan Lorenzo Holmann, general manager of La Prensa, denounced that “month by month” she sees a “deterioration” in her partner, a product of the inhuman prison conditions in which they have kept him for more than 370 days in El Chipote.
“When he was arrested he already had pre-existing heart conditions, high blood pressure; in his eyes he had retinopathies; and this year, in the 379 days that he has been unjustly in El Chipote, he has developed something that they told him is a hernia, which now causes him problems when walking and he has stopped exercising. Also, he told me, he has shortness of breath, it’s hard for him to breathe, which I don’t know if it’s a condition if it has to do with the problem he has in his aorta, which has to be monitored, and he hasn’t received specialized medical attention “, he pointed.
Verónica Chávez, during the press conference, reported that she found her husband Miguel Mora, former candidate for the presidency and owner of Canal 100% Noticias, “extremely thin” after he was on a hunger strike, demanding that they allow him to see his son Miguelito Mora Chavez.
Victoria Cárdenas, wife of Juan Sebastián Chamorro, also denounced that her partner has been affected by the prison conditions in which he finds himself, highlighting that he continues to sleep on a concrete bed with a worn mattress, which causes back pain.
“He did not enter with any previous health condition. As of today, August 29, my husband has been kidnapped for 447 days without specialized medical care. So, I don’t know how my husband is in health and not being able to talk to him, receive a letter, a call, I don’t know how he is,” she said.
In addition, she demanded that both she and her daughter be authorized to have some type of communication with Juan Sebastián, through calls, video calls or correspondence that includes letters or photos, since both are outside the country due to persecution by the regime. Ortega-Murillo.
Suyen Barahona lost another four pounds in weight
César Dubois, husband of political prisoner Suyen Barahona, denounced that his partner lost another four pounds in weight, down to 106 pounds from the 145 she weighed before being imprisoned, as a result of the poor and scant diet she receives in El Chipote, where it has been closed since June 2021.
“They have greatly limited the quantity and quality of food that our families receive. If they give gallopinto, they are counted beans. If they give rice and beans, they are very small portions, no vegetables, meat very occasionally, almost never, and that has had an impact on our relatives who were already in very difficult situations and it has worsened, ”he pointed out.
In addition, he pointed out that his partner is still in “isolation, incommunicado, alone in a cell, with no one to talk to, and adding more than 14 months without being able to see our son, without having access to a Bible, a pencil or a piece of paper. ”.
“We continue to request that Suyen be able to see our son. We have requested it judicially, verbally, personally, during the trial hearings, but the response has been that he does not or simply does not respond, “he said.
Scheduled visits and weekly packages are urgently needed
The relatives unanimously urged the delivery of weekly parcels, which be managed autonomously by the political prisoners; and scheduling and regularization of visits, since these are notified with little time in advance and in more than 15 months they have only been authorized to have ten meetings, allowed between 35 and 45 days, despite the fact that by law these should be scheduled in periods of between 15 and 20 days.
In addition, they demanded that visits and communication with minors and people with different abilities be guaranteed. CONFIDENCIAL documented, with periodical information and data from relatives and human rights defenders, that ten political prisoners have not been able to see their children even once in more than 14 months of confinement.
On August 18, the regime only authorized political prisoners Miguel Mora and Tamara Dávila, after both pressured them by going on hunger strike, to see their children after 14 months of isolation and incommunicado detention.
“We demand the regularization of visits, with the presence and participation of minor children or children with special needs, and access and regularization of telephone calls or video calls and correspondence such as photographs, drawings and letters, which include relatives in exile,” he says. the document disclosed by the relatives.
They also requested that political prisoners be authorized access to reading material, blankets, regular changes of uniforms and masks, regular access to personal hygiene materials and cell cleaning.
