Nicaragua: Relatives Fear for Lives of Jailed Opposition Figures as Daniel Ortega Continues Atrocities

The government of Nicaragua under President Daniel Ortega has arrested opponents, from opposition politicians and activists to members of the media and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. Now, the relatives of these jailed political opponents have spoken out and are saying that they are fearing for the lives of their imprisoned relatives.

Four well-known political prisoners have now started a hunger strike, prompting their relatives to release a statement last Monday. These four prisoners began their hunger strike to protest the bad conditions at the infamous El Chipote prison. According to the Associated Press, they are protesting a lack of medical care, bad food, and mistreatment, among other things.

"We fear that they may die inside that torture center," said one of the relatives, who added that every day that passes places the lives of their relatives doing the hunger strike at greater risk.

The relatives also stated that the prison threatened them that they would not give the water bottles supplied by the relatives to the prisoners.

Former Daniel Ortega Ally and Legendary Sandinista Rebel Commander Leading Hunger Strike

The four opposition figures leading the hunger strike are some of the most prominent people in Nicaragua. They are led by Dora Maria Tellez, a legendary Sandinista rebel commander who even served as the health minister during the first Sandinista government under Ortega.

Tellez, who led the assault on the National palace in 1978 and held members of congress hostage, was disenchanted when Ortega consolidated power. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The other three joining the hunger strike are journalist Miguel Mendoza, academic Irving Larios, and lawyer Roger Reyes.

According to Infobae, the Daniel Ortega regime suspended family visits in El Chipote over 50 days ago. This prompted Mendoza and Reyes to demand to be able to see their children who are still minors. They had been denied seeing them since they were arrested over a year ago.

Prisoners Look Deteriorated, Says Relative

On August 31, the Nicaraguan National Police exhibited several prisoners from the infamous prison. These include Tellez, as well as other leaders of the Nicaraguan Democratic Union. They also presented Luis Rivas Anduray, former president of private bank Banco de la Produccion de Nicaragua, as well as Felix Maradiaga, who tried running against Daniel Ortega in the previous presidential elections, and Juan Lorenzo Holmann, general manager of the newspaper La Prensa.

According to Dialogo Americas, one of the relatives stated that she could not even recognize her own father because he looked completely emaciated.

"I didn't recognize him; he looks completely deteriorated. I never imagined that my dad would look this skinny, weak, and convalescent," said Renata Holmann, the daughter of journalist Juan Lorenzo Holmann.

When the Ortega government presented the prisoners during one of their "informative hearings" at the Managua Judicial Complex, they were branded as "terrorists, coup plotters, and homeland traitors." However, a Nicaraguan Administration of Justice lawyer told Dialogo Americas that the prisoners showed signs that they were tortured after they were presented.

"What you observe and describe as lost looks, with dilated pupils, is a consequence of suddenly coming out of a cell that's the same color," said lawyer Yader Morazan, who is an expert in identifying signs of torture.

The infamously bad conditions at El Chipote, coupled with the advanced age of some of the political prisoners, have made relatives think that they were effectively given the death sentence. This was true for former Sandinista guerrilla leader Hugo Torres, who was also a former Ortega ally and even saved his life once. Torres died while awaiting his trial at the age of 73.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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