The Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners denounces that the list of citizens imprisoned for being critical of the Ortega regime increased to 245. The count closed in January 2023. With this data, 10 new arrests are reflected, mainly of residents linked to with the Catholic Church and relatives of political prisoners.
“Among the people arrested are territorial activists, relatives of political prisoners and members of the Diocese of Matagalpa. Of the seven (7) people still in prison to date, five (5) have been recognized according to the Mechanism’s criteria as political prisoners, of which two (2) appear on the list shown at the end of this report and three ( 3) have been added as anonymous persons”, the organization’s report refers to.
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They reiterate that during the last two months they have observed “the increasing use of attacks on relatives of political prisoners and activists. These acts have been used by the State as exemplary and instructive mechanisms, which seek to deepen self-censorship and citizen demobilization in the fight for the freedom of political prisoners.
“This new repressive mechanism that takes on relevance in the regime’s control strategy in Nicaragua has been expressed in arbitrary arrests and prosecution of relatives of political prisoners. As well as in the increase in attacks on family members during visits and in threats to political prisoners to attack the family if they carry out any resistance action in the detention centers,” the document adds.
The mechanism is especially concerned about political prisoners detained before 2018 and who present deterioration in their health due to the conditions in which they are held captive in the different prison systems of the country where they are subjected to torture and cruel treatment. Some have developed health problems derived from confinement such as diabetes, gastritis, chronic kidney problems and cancer.
“The use of maximum security cells, the unsanitary conditions of the cells, and the ill-treatment and torture have had a negative impact on their physical condition, generating diseases such as fungal allergies, blindness due to lack of light, constipation, pain of bone due to the blows and sequelae of COVID-19. As well as stress, anxiety and depression, “says the report.
Of the list presented by the mechanism, 61 people are being held in the DAJ known as “El Chipote.” 16 people are in municipal police stations and 12 at home in jail. 146 are being held in the different centers of the National Penitentiary System. In addition, the number of political prisoners over 60 years of age increases to 40.
The number of political prisoners from the department of Matagalpa continues to increase. This being the third department with the most political prisoners currently, after Managua and Masaya.
