The hidden reasons why Daniel Ortega does not release the 779 political prisoners in Nicaragua

The main prisoners of negotiation of Daniel Ortega are the political prisoners. According to the lists of the Committee of Political Prisoners of Nicaragua, there are currently 779 people imprisoned for opposing the Ortega regime. This "capital" allowed him to negotiate with the opposition in search of a lifeline to overcome the crisis the country is going through.

This April 19 was a year of the crisis in Nicaragua. It all began when groups of citizens, mainly young and old, took to the streets to protest against social security reforms that increased contributions and reduced pensions. They were violently repressed by supporters of the government and the police. Instead of appeasing the demonstration, the repression triggered an insurrection. Thousands of citizens organized mbad marches to demand a change of government. To protect themselves from repression, opponents began to build barricades in neighborhoods and on roads, so much so that a month later, Nicaragua was almost paralyzed.

The regime's response was brutal: police and paramilitaries came out in caravans with weapons of war to disrupt the outbreak of blood and fire. Ortega imposed a military peace that left at least 325 dead, more than four thousand wounded and some 800 arrested. Forty thousand Nicaraguans went into exile inopportune to protect themselves.

Political prisoners have a dual purpose for Ortega: they first served to decapitate and dissuade the protest, and then serve as bargaining chips for negotiation. "He wants to take them hostage to ensure paramilitary impunity, perversely equating the legitimate exercise of political rights with acts that have resulted in crimes against humanity, "said Azahalea Solís, a member of the Civic Alliance's negotiating committee, who represents the opposition.

Even though the government has already signed an agreement providing for the release of all political prisoners, seems willing to comply in a few drops and without losing control of them. Daniel Esquivel, a member of the Committee of Political Prisoners, said that the Ortega regime had taken 236 citizens out of prison, but that only 18 of them enjoyed complete freedom. The others modify the prison system only by "house by prison" or by "family coexistence".

It disturbs Julio Montenegro, who defends 85 political prisoners. "I do not understand the delay. I do not understand why put the times and conditions. I do not understand why he lives in prison or in his family life. These numbers do not even apply! "He said.

Rafael Solis was until January last magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice and one of the closest to Ortega. He resigned and went into exile, he said, annoyed by the regime's reaction to the citizens' demonstration. He does not believe that Ortega is easily detached from his "capital" of political prisoners. On the contrary, he will negotiate with them until the end. "He will not withdraw them because this is one of his main negotiating letters, he would lose this letter to continue to negotiate. He will not even withdraw them within 90 days (which he is committed to). You will remember me, "he says. Infobae by phone from Costa Rica. "You can take small groups, but will always leave a kernel that I calculate between 100 and 50 political prisoners who will have them until the end"

On March 20, before the harbadment of the international community and in search of reactivating the dialogue with the opposition to obtain a respite, the government agreed to release all political prisoners in an agreement with Civic Alliance and with the presence as witnesses of representatives of the OAS and the Vatican. The 90 days would end on June 20th. "Until now, he has only published 16"according to the accounts of the Committee of Political Prisoners.
For the sociologist Oscar Rene Vargas, the strategy of Ortega is based on the logic of "power or death"" He knows that the release of prisoners would facilitate the possibility of a new social wave, given that the subjective and objective conditions are met. Y in the case of the release of political prisoners, their chances of remaining in power would be reduced to a minimum. Therefore, keeping political prisoners in prison is the guarantee that widespread repression will have the desired effect: to limit demonstrations during symbolic demonstrations. "

The maintenance of imprisoned political prisoners is the guarantee that widespread repression will have the desired effect: to limit demonstrations during symbolic demonstrations

This is what Daniel Esquivel, husband of Irlanda Jerez, manager of the market in eastern Managua, owned by the government, thinks. "They are afraid that leaders will raise the streets again"Esquivel, who is" totally unhappy "with the treatment of political prisoners during the negotiations." The government because it does not respect the agreements and others (the Civic Alliance) because they have no way to enforce them. "

For Montenegro, the legalistic arguments put forward by the government to explain the delay in the release of political prisoners constitute a "pure justification". "What is born as an arbitrary can not be solved with a legal logic," he says. Montenegro refers to the vast majority of imprisoned citizenss were arrested without warrant, repeatedly by paramilitary civilians who came violently to get them out of their homes, many procedural safeguards for the detainees were not respected and that they were sometimes arrested as "terrorists" exercising rights such as walking, wearing a blue and white flag of Nicaragua or singing. 39, national anthem.

"What is possible is the cancellation of the trials"They say they've said they felt like chess, and what's going on there is their situation, they do not trust the negotiations." He acted vaguely, the demand should be stronger on the part of the alliance, and they should be released unconditionally. "

For Dr Ernesto Medina, former rector of the American University and a member of the Civic Alliance's negotiating committee, the game the government is playing with political prisoners "is inhuman"

He says he's taken them hostage, partly to use them in negotiation and partly to support the thesis of coup d'etat and the punishment of the guilty.

For the moment, bargaining stagnates. Since April 3, Civic Alliance has left the table claiming that the government was only trying to save time without solving anything. And he badured that he would only sit if the promised release was fulfilled.

Rafael Solis, who is well acquainted with Ortega for taking part in many of the initiatives that brought him to power and subsequent re-elections, recommends that the Civic Alliance not resume dialogue with the government until all the prisoners policies will not be released. Daniel Ortega, he says, will do everything to ensure that the issue of political prisoners remains on the agenda for as long as possible.to reach the other issues of democracy and justice. What you are looking for is reaching 2021 and getting an agreement that allows impunity"