Former presidential candidates Juan Sebastián Chamorro and Félix Maradiaga; Together with the activist Violeta Granera and the businessman José Adán Aguerri, they celebrate this Tuesday, October 11, 490 days of having been taken as political prisoners by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
The hostages of conscience, with the exception of Aguerri, are held captive in the cells of the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), known as “El Chipote”, a center where they have been subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, according to family complaints. and human rights organizations.
In the middle of last August, Aguerri was sent home to jail for health problems. Maradiaga, Chamorro and Granera were presented to the propaganda media of the dictatorship at the end of August and beginning of September, their weight loss and the damage caused by more than a year of forced confinement were noted.
Related news: Jared Genser: Daniel Ortega imprisoned Chamorro and Maradiaga because they offered a “prosperous Nicaragua”
In March of this year, the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy (ACJD) reported that Aguerri, a member of that organization, has fungus on his back and chest; partial loss of vision in his left eye, otitis —ear infection— and migraine.
José Adán Aguerri was accused by Nicaraguan justice of allegedly “conspiring to undermine national integrity” and the Fifth Criminal District Judge, Félix Ernesto Salmerón Moreno, sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
On June 8, 2021, the dictatorship directed the “kidnappings”, just four months before its illegitimate elections. The four opponents were convicted of the alleged crime of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity.”
The Ortega justice imposed sentences of 13 years against Chamorro and Maradiaga, while Granera was sentenced to eight years. The hostages of conscience faced seven hearings that, according to their defenders, were “riddled with irregularities.”
During the trial, Chamorro and Maradiaga “were prevented from speaking at any time during their trial; They were only allowed to nod “yes” or “no” and were even punished for doing so too enthusiastically.
Currently, Granera, 70, has health problems. Her relatives denounce lack of medical attention. The political prisoner has presented a high pressure crisis; she suffers from heart problems and her body has white and red spots.
During the trial, the Prosecutor’s Office presented 27 police officers as witnesses against seven political prisoners, including Maradiaga, Chamorro, Granera and Aguerri. The only evidence they were accused of was their participation in a WhatsApp group and some television interviews. They also presented the alleged material evidence, including objects that were obtained during the illegal searches of the prisoners’ houses.
