The Nunca Más Nicaragua Human Rights Collective condemned the abuses committed against relatives of political prisoners in the recent visit to the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ) in Managua, as well as in other prisons in the country.
“We repudiate the practice of undressing women and relatives who visit political prisoners, because it constitutes a way of extending the method of torture and cruel treatment suffered by those who are deprived of liberty for political reasons,” the organization denounced.
Related news: Regime authorizes visit to political prisoners of “El Chipote”, after urgent calls from families
The agency’s statements come after relatives of political prisoners held in “El Nuevo Chipote” were able to visit them, after the Ortega regime deprived them of the right for 84 days.
Some of the relatives of the hostages of conscience have denounced that police officers, in addition to forcing them to undress, ordered them to do squats (physical exercise). “The officer who was in charge of that said that it was an order and therefore she had to comply with it. What happened on Saturday —November 20— was assault or sexual abuse, because in addition to undressing them, they also touched them»denounced before Article 66 a source on condition of anonymity.
They demand an end to the violation of human rights
Faced with this situation, the Collective demanded from the Ortega dictatorship “the cessation of all forms of cruelty, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the freedom of all political prisoners in Nicaragua.”
For her part, human rights defender Wendy Flores, A member of the Collective told this media outlet that these actions violate human rights in addition to the acts of torture “committed by the Ortega regime against political prisoners and is yet another extension of the suffering against their relatives.” ».
He explained that these arbitrary acts violate the dignity of people, “since they humiliate them, make them feel like there is no right over them and when they demand their rights or claim them, the retaliation is immediate as was seen with the arrest of one of the relatives of Dora María Téllez —Oscar Téllez Balladares-».
For the lawyer, these abuses are added to the list that the Nicaraguan regime has been committing against political prisoners “for the exercise of their rights.”
Abuses against minors
On the other hand, Flores said that the repressive actions have spread to the boys and girls who visit their relatives in other prisons in the country, since they are separated from an adult, putting them at risk, “this adds to the suffering of the relative who it takes minors, because they leave them in the hands of officials they don’t know.”
Related news: Police arrest the nephew of Dora María Téllez for complaining against the abuse of relatives in “El Chipote”
“These actions have forced many relatives to decide for security reasons and to protect the physical and sexual integrity of the minor, not to take them because they put themselves at risk, in addition to the abuse and verbal mistreatment suffered by relatives when visiting them” added the lawyer.
To date, the Ortega dictatorship keeps more than 220 political prisoners behind bars, and at least 50 are captive in “El Nuevo Chipote”, a detention center classified as torture, most of them have been accused and convicted of impairment to national integrity or for common crimes.
