The defender and executive secretary of the Center for Inter-American Legal Assistance in Human Rights (Calidh), Danny Ramírez, denounces that the State of Nicaragua is carrying out “absolutely null processes” against political prisonerswhom he has assumed as dissidents or opponents of his regime.
“Violations of due process guarantees have been violated by the State of Nicaragua in trials against political prisoners, dissolution and confiscation of associations, among other outrages. Until today, all processes without guarantees are absolutely null. The accumulation of powers in the executive branch means that the State becomes only a group of institutions committed to controlling the repression of opposition voices,” the defender said.
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He affirms that the criminalization of Ortega, especially against the Catholic Church, can be translated as a form of state revenge« that there is the crime of persecution that is contemplated in chapter seven of the Rome Statute, all these attacks can be seen as persecution imposed by the regime against the religious”.
“2022 was the year in which the most people were arrested for doing some type of opposition to the government and we express our concern about the effects on family members of this prolonged isolation, our regret for the elderly and people with chronic illnesses,” he added. the member of Calidh in an interview with Article 66.
For the entity, respect for human rights and the freedom of political prisoners have been the main complaints, especially in 2022, when the regime intensified the hunt even against the relatives of opponents.
The defender and executive secretary of Calidh, Danny Ramírez, affirms that for this year the demands will focus on “freedom for political prisoners, an end to attacks against the Church, restoration of human rights and liberties, return of exiles, truth and justice for those murdered by the Nicaraguan government and reparation for their families.”
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“We demand the cessation of the persecution of the Church and the release of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, religious and lay people convicted as a form of state revenge. These judgments violate International Law. From Calidh we will continue to accompany the victims of human rights violations in Nicaragua. We are especially committed to political prisoners, for whom today we demand their immediate and unconditional release. Older adults must be released now, “adds the activist.
Calidh, an organization that sued Argentina to investigate officials of the Nicaraguan dictatorship, has denounced that it “observes with great concern how the effects of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment extend to the relatives and close friends” of political prisoners.
“We demand the release of all political prisoners because they were tried with laws that break procedural guarantees and that pursue the revenge of the State against opposition voices. There is no justice in revenge, “says the agency.