Daniel Ortega imprisoned Hugo Torres, the former Sandinista guerrilla who risked his life to free him in 1974

The former Sandinista guerrilla Hugo torres, arrested this Sunday by the Nicaraguan police for “treason”, recalled that in 1974 he risked his life to free the country’s president, Daniel Ortega, from prison, which he underlined at the head now “of a new dictatorship”.

“46 years ago, I risked my life to get Daniel Ortega and other political prisoners out of prison,” the retired brigadier general and former military intelligence chief said in a video he recorded before his arrest.

On December 27, 1974, Torres participated in a Sandinista command that attacked the residence of one of the dictator’s ministers. Anastasio Somoza Debayle, which allowed the release of a group of political prisoners, including Ortega, who had been in prison for seven years.

The action took key members of Somoza Debayle’s cabinet hostage, who were at a party at the home of José Maria Castillo Quant, government minister, who died the night of the attack.

A group of 13 guerrillas took part in the assault on the so-called “Command Juan José Quezada”, including Torres and three others who became the heads of the Nicaraguan armed forces: Joaquín Cuadra, Javier Carrión and Moisés Omar Halleslevens.

With Ortega, the late deputy and secretary of international relations of the Sandinistas were released, Jacinto Suárez, as good as Lenin Cerna Yes Manuel Rivas Vallecillo, Ortega’s advisers.

“I am 73 years old. I never thought that at this point in my life I would fight civically and peacefully against a new dictatorship “said Torres, who is vice president of the Unión Democrática Renovadora (Unamos), formerly known as Movimiento Renovador Sandinista (MRS), a split from the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).

“The Somoza dictatorship failed to imprison me. We fought hard, many comrades died. It was another space, another time and another context. Today, the fight is peaceful and that gives us great strength, ”said the retired soldier.

Torres recalled that in 1978 he risked his life again in another assault with the former guerrilla and also arrested, Dora María Téllez “and other comrades, to free 60 political prisoners, among whom Tomás Borge, Doris Tijerino, René Núñez and others “The Sandinista leaders.

Téllez and Torres, former comrades in Ortega’s struggle, took part on August 22, 1978 in the Sandinista command which stormed the National Palace. and held hostage lawmakers like Somoza Debayle, who was ousted almost 42 years ago.

According to the former guerrilla, the recent wave of arrests “These are the desperate claws of a regime that feels dying, which has no legal basis, which has no institutional-legal justification, to remain in power beyond November of this year, in which free and supervised elections are expected to take place ”.

“This is not a legal regime, our fight is. Our struggle, that of the Nicaraguan people for which they had to pay great sacrifices, yes it is, ”said Torres, alluding to the popular revolt that erupted 38 months ago against the Ortega regime in About controversial social security reforms. .

Two other of the four arrested this Sunday also recorded a video before their arrest.

“We are continuing the fight. This (arrest) is part of the process to get out of Daniel Ortega. No one here is repressing. Daniel Ortega leaves. We will withdraw it. Obligate”said the Sandinista dissident Ana Marguerite Vigil.

“Homeland free to live. This has been the struggle of these three years: for freedom and justice, and so that no other generation has to live what we have suffered with this dictatorship ”, declared Suyen Barahona, president of Unamos, who advocated “keep hope”.

Nicaraguan police, who direct Francisco diaz, Ortega’s brother-in-law, keeps four opposition presidential candidates in detention: Cristiana Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Félix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastián Chamorro García.

Also to the former President of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep) José Adán Aguerri, to the former Vice-Chancellor José Pallais and to the leaders of the opposition of the National Unity Violeta Granera, Tamara Dávila, Téllez, Vigil, Barahona and Torres.

In addition, two other former NGO staff who have been arrested over the past two weeks on charges of various crimes.

With information from the EFE

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