A few days before February 9, the United States ambassador in Managua, Kevin Sullivan, would make a trip to his country. Rosario Murillo was aware of this and she proposed to her husband Daniel Ortega that they hand over the political prisoners to the US diplomat so that he could take them with him.
Ortega told him to contact Ambassador Sullivan and tell him about his decision. Joe Biden’s representative in Managua made the arrangements and in the early hours of that second Thursday in February, 222 people boarded a plane headed for the North American country.
The most numerous release of the Nicaraguan regime occurred that day. It was the first time that the dictatorship applied exile to more than 200 Nicaraguans. It also took away their nationality and left them stateless.
Related news: Juan Sebastián Chamorro recalls the sentence Ortega imposed on him a year ago
On that flight to the United States was former presidential candidate Juan Sebastián Chamorro, one of the seven opposition candidates that the regime imprisoned between May and November 2021, on the eve of the presidential vote.
“One month. For those who have never lost their freedom, enjoy every moment. See the sky and the stars, walk without bumping into a wall, shake hands with pleasure, enjoy the flavors and above all love your loved ones. Let’s thank God that he is good, “wrote the opponent on his Twitter account.
Chamorro was detained in the cells of the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), known as “El Chipote”, from his capture on June 8, 2021 until his release a month ago. He was accused of the alleged crimes of undermining national integrity and spreading false news.
The opposition leader was sentenced to 13 years in prison after a trial that, according to his international lawyer Jared Genser, was riddled with irregularities. During the process, the Prosecutor’s Office presented 27 police officers as witnesses. The only proof that was imputed to them was their participation in a WhatsApp group and some interviews on television.
