The sports writer Miguel Mendoza is serving 300 days in prison by the Daniel Ortega regime. The justice of the dictatorship found the journalist guilty for the crime of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity” in accordance with the controversial Law 1055. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Mendoza was subjected to a closed hearing at the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), accused of “treason against the country” and by the Cybercrime Law. In addition, he was disqualified from holding public office. He is one of the 46 opponents detained in 2021, months before the November general elections in which Daniel Ortega was enthroned in power in his fourth consecutive term since he returned to the Presidency in 2007.
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In recent years, the sports writer used his social networks to comment on human rights violations. Among the main pieces of evidence presented by the Public Ministry for the Judiciary to declare him guilty are at least 30 Twitter and Facebook posts that Mendoza shared against the Ortega dictatorship.
The family of the imprisoned opponent has stated that they feel desperate due to the “unfair” confinement against Mendoza, but what has caused the most pain is the situation of the journalist’s daughter who “cries every night and has not been able to hug her father, not He has been able to kiss, “said his wife Margin Pozo.
In the last visit made to Mendoza, his brother was able to confirm that “physically he is quite affected, quite thin. His face is emaciated, his skin is a little wrinkled, his complexion is quite dry and you can see that he is not in very good health », he said in an interview with Article 66.
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On each visit, his wife asks if her seven-year-old daughter, Alejandra, can see or talk to her father, and the corresponding authorities tell her that there is no authorization. Political prisoners are not even allowed to see drawings or letters that minors send them.
Mendoza has been captive since June 21, 2021, when he was outside his home. One day after his arrest, police officers raided his home, according to his wife “the only thing they could take was our cell phones and a (damaged) camera that we had kept for 7 years.”
Their relatives continue to demand “minimum conditions” from the regime for political prisoners such as more frequent visits, better food and the entry of personal items. In the same way they demand their immediate freedom. “Michael is innocent. Everything that has happened in these six months has been unfair and we will continue to ask for Miguel’s freedom », highlighted his wife.
