Relatives of political prisoners who have been in the prisons of the Daniel Ortega regime since 2018 , expressed their concern because they say that among the detainees there are some who have shown symptoms of covid-19 and despite that, they are not allowed access to care medical treatment.
The Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners (AFPP) held a press conference to denounce that several of the political prisoners are suffering symptoms such as high fever, breathing problems and fatigue while the guards refuse to take them to a hospital.
Hanzi Alemán, sister of the political prisoner Bryan Alemán, who was recaptured by the Ortega police in August 2020, denounced that sometimes the guards do not allow food to be brought to him and that he is very poorly fed as a result of that. “He suffers from hunger because he no longer eats like he used to,” Aleman said.
Alemán was also wounded by two common prisoners within the Penitentiary System in March of this year, according to his mother Mercedes Alemán, who reported that her son was wounded in the chest with a rusty iron rod and more than 24 hours for the prison authorities to give him medical attention.
The AFPP issued a statement in which they denounced that “our political hostages have been physically and psychologically tortured, sentenced to many years in prison and three years in prison for many of them recaptured, we must mention that they are in terrible health conditions and without access to food, medicine, potentially exposed to disease and in inhuman conditions ”.
Where is Giovanny Tenorio?
Claudia Tenorio, Giovanny Tenorio’s sister, denounced that to date they do not know his whereabouts after he disappeared in March of this year in Matagalpa, who was arrested by individuals dressed in civilian clothes who identified themselves as alleged policemen. However, she said, nowhere have they been able to obtain information.
“ We have searched everywhere, even in the same community where he disappeared and we have no information about him. The Matagalpa Ortega Police denies having him and refuses to provide information. They threatened my mother and sister that if they ask for information again they will arrest them, ”said Tenorio.
In June 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures in favor of Giovanny Tenorio, considering that he is “in a serious and urgent situation of risk of irreparable damage to his rights in Nicaragua.”
According to Tenorio’s relative, since these precautionary measures were granted, even the Red Cross has tried to obtain information on the whereabouts and they have not been able to obtain information. He even said that supposedly in the La Modelo Penitentiary System they looked for him “in the system” and did not find him.
Torture in prison is denounced
Yader Valdivia, lawyer and human rights defender of the Human Rights Collective Nicaragua Never Again, reported that they have documented at least 100 cases of torture that have been registered in the Nicaraguan Penitentiary System against political prisoners and warns that now torture it is spreading to family members who ask for their release or denounce the mistreatment they suffer.
“ From the collective we have registered these cases of torture, not only against political prisoners but also against family members, as you have been denouncing here. This situation has worsened against family members and has extended to harassment against family members, ”said Valdivia.
The AFPP seconded the denunciation of the siege against the relatives of political prisoners, many of them who had to go into exile abroad because they even received death threats.
“To this is added the criminalization that relatives suffer today, since most of them are being repressed, besieged and persecuted constantly, some have been redeemed from home by jail and others have had to leave the country for siege and threats of an arrest warrant, such as the case of Eduard Lacayo the wolf’s sister, Karen Lacayo from the department of Masaya, ”AFPP said in a statement.
