Persecution in Nicaragua: Regime arrested three other female opponents, including former Sandinista guerrilla Dora María Téllez

The persecution of the Daniel Ortega regime in Nicaragua continues. This sunday morning Opponents Dora María Téllez, Ana Margarita Vijil and Suyen Barahona, members of the Unión Democrática Renovadora (Unamos) party, were arrested, as confirmed by the Sandinista police.

Very early in the morning Police patrols and motorcycles from regime-linked paramilitary groups surrounded and raided Téllez’s home, located south of Managua, where Vijil was also located, according to what was denounced by Unamos spokespersons. The raid was carried out without a court order and with the use of drones inside the house.

In a statement, police said opponents are under investigation for committing “acts which undermine independence, sovereignty and self-determination, incite foreign interference in internal affairs, demand military interventions, organize themselves with funding from foreign powers to carry out acts of terrorism and destabilization, propose and manage blockades of economic, commercial and financial operations against the country and its institutions, demand, to exalt and applaud the imposition of sanctions against the State of Nicaragua and its citizens, and to harm the supreme interests of the nation ”.

Suyen BarahonaShe was later arrested when she demanded “respect for her physical integrity” from her companions.

“This is yet another aggression by the dictatorship of Ortega Murillo, against the Nicaraguan opposition and against Unamos,” said this movement, which belongs to the Blue and White opposition National Unit.

For its part, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) condemned “the arbitrary detention and search of Dora’s home”. The “Police violently entered their homes and took them away with no unknown destination.”

Tellez, 65, was a guerrilla commander of the Sandinista Front. At 22, in 1978, he stormed the National Palace of Nicaragua, where Congress was held under the government of dictator Anastasio Somoza. The assault led by Edén Pastora (Commander “Cero”), who died last year, freed dozens of imprisoned guerrillas.

She was Minister of Health in the first Sandinista Front government (1979-1990), but years later, he left the party after severely criticizing the leadership of Ortega, which he called “caudillo” and “dictator”.. Ortega returned to power in 2007 and in 2009 the SRM was banned.

After the social unrest of April 2018, Ortega accused Téllez and the MRS of being the “instigators” of the protests that the government has called a “failed coup” to overthrow the Sandinista leader, who is seeking his third re-election in the November 7 elections.

Meanwhile, Vigil is the daughter of the late Miguel Ernesto Vigil, who was Minister of Housing and Human Settlements during the first Sandinista administration.

The arrests of Téllez and Vijil come hours after Nicaraguan police arrested opposition leader Daysi Tamara Dávila Rivas on Saturday evening for “Incite foreign interference in internal affairs” and “demand military interventions” against the regime.

Last night Tamara Dávila, member of the Blue and White National Unity Political Council, was also arrested. In a statement, police said Dávila Rivas, daughter of deceased retired Colonel Irvin Dávila, is under investigation “for committing acts undermining independence, sovereignty and self-determination, incited to foreign interference in internal affairs and demanded military interventions. ”. Also for “having organized with funding from foreign powers to commit acts of terrorism and destabilization, propose and manage economic, commercial and financial blockade operations against the country and its institutions”.

Nicaraguan police, led by Francisco Díaz, President Ortega’s brother-in-law, hold four opposition presidential candidates: Cristiana Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Félix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastián Chamorro García.

Journalist Chamorro, daughter of ex-president Violeta Chamorro and favorite according to the polls to face Ortega in the elections, has been under house arrest since June 2, under investigation for alleged “money laundering”, while the other three candidates opposition sent into preventive detention last week.

The prosecution tells opponents to have gone to the United States to “demand sanctions” against some 31 officials and relatives of Ortega. The most recent sanctions were applied last week by the Treasury Department against his daughter Camila Ortega Murillo and three other senior government officials.

Also to the former president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep) José Adán Aguerri, to the former vice-chancellor Jose pallais, the opposition activist Violeta granera and two other former NGO workers were arrested last week for various crimes.

The opposition affirms that Ortega wants to eliminate his opponents from the electoral process because – he assures – “fears” of losing the elections. Daniel Ortega, who turns 76 in November, has been in power for almost 15 years and is banking on his third re-election for a fourth consecutive term.

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) will analyze the situation in Nicaragua next Tuesday.

With information from the EFE

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