The Seventh Criminal Court Judge of Managua, Abelardo Alvir Ramos, decreed 90 days in prison for the Public Ministry (MP) to “investigate” two workers from the newspaper La Prensa, arbitrarily detained on the night of Wednesday, July 6, by Ortega Police agents.
The “protection of guarantees” hearing where the investigative process against the two drivers was extended was held on Friday, July 8, at five in the afternoon. Defense attorneys were not permitted.
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The two new citizens who join the list of political prisoners in Nicaragua are the drivers, Carlos Lam and Mario Sánchez, who were kidnapped after covering the expulsion of the Sisters of Charity.
According to La Prensa, 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 (FCBCH), in whose process he interrogated dozens of journalists.”
It is known that the two media workers are being held in the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ) known as “El Nuevo Chipote” in Managua, where more than 30 hostages of conscience are held.
For La Prensa, in the absence of evidence, the MP extended the term of the investigation “to build a case” against its workers. It should be noted that this measure has been taken by the dictatorship against most of the political prisoners in “El Chipote.”
Workers covered the expulsion of nuns
These actions against freedom of the press occurred against some members of the journalistic team that covered the expulsion of the Missionary Sisters of Charity who had their headquarters in Granada, Nicaragua.
Related news: The IAPA denounces new attacks on La Prensa by the Sandinista dictatorship
“The persecution was directed at the team that covered the expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity from Nicaragua by the Ortega regime. The driver who mobilized the journalistic team was kidnapped from his family’s house at nightfall on Wednesday, “says the publication.
«The other driver of the Diario, who was not involved in the coverage, was also detained by police around midnight. Subsequently, police patrols arrived at the house of the reporter who covered the issue and the home of a photographer was raided during the early hours,” the newspaper added.
“The history of the newspaper La Prensa is full of abuses perpetrated by those who feel threatened by the constitutionally established right of citizens to give and receive information. We are facing one more attack to shut up,” the media reported on its website.
For its part, the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) denounced the “new wave of persecution” carried out by the Nicaraguan government against La Prensa workers, and demanded the release of journalists and staff of this newspaper.
