At least two police officers from the Daniel Ortega regime served as witnesses in the express hearing against the opposition member from the Países Bajos neighborhood of Masaya, Yolanda Gonzalez Escobar who last Saturday, May 13, was kidnapped and brought before an Ortega judge.
The citizen was arrested at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, later subjected to several interrogations with police officers and accused of Cybercrime, or better known as the “Gag Law.”
Related news: Police kidnap opposition member Yolanda González and AUN member Juan Carlos Márquez
A judge from this city admitted the case against the opposition member after hearing the testimony of two police officers from Managua and after the intervention of a veteran lawyer, who served as prosecutor in the case.
After the hearing, the opponent was released and taken to the door of her house at 4:00 in the morning on Sunday, under the precautionary measure of presenting herself daily to the police headquarters to sign an attendance certificate, until completing three months, which is what they believe the trial will last.
Benefited from IACHR precautionary measures
In August 2022, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures in favor of the citizen and her family nucleus, after considering that she was in “a serious and urgent situation of risk of irreparable damage to her rights in Nicaragua”.
According to the organization, the opposition member has been in a situation of risk due to threats, harassment, and surveillance by state and parastatal agents since 2018, in addition to the fact that she was the victim of two consecutive searches with the use of violence, without a warrant.
More opponents parade in police station
It is known that another young opponent of Masaya, who was also kidnapped by the police the same day González Escobar was arrested, goes every day to sign the delegation. The citizen identified with the last name Alemán, was stripped of a computer and a cell phone, in addition to cash, during the police operation.
The young woman, who is a university student, has asked the authorities to return the occupied computers since the computer belongs to an aunt who gave it to her to study and present her academic projects.
A Blue and White Monitoring report recently revealed that the repression in Nicaragua has worsened in recent weeks when the regime’s Police increased the list of arrests, threats, and illegal searches. In his report, he reports at least 181 incidents in the last fifteen days, mostly during night raids.
Between May 1 and 16, 2023, the country recorded 80 arbitrary legal proceedings, 65 express arrests, 19 harassment, 11 threats, and six raids against opponents.
