Nica News Roundup (March 15) – Nicaraguans Cheer Political Prisoners (UPDATED)

March 15, 2019

Nicaragua

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The transport of Nicaraguan political prisoners from the Modelo and the Esperanza correctional began this morning, when fifty prisoners of conscience were excarcelated. The OrMu administration agreed to excarcelate “an appreciable nucleus of people” on Friday March 15, according to a joint statement, co-signed by the Alianza, and published on Wednesday night.

The legal status of these prisoners is unclear, as  “excarcelation” is not a synonym for “liberation.” Moreover, the administration does not acknowledge any political prisoners whatsoever. According to Assemblyman Wilfredo Navarro, what exists are “imprisoned politicians”

There are no political prisoners in Nicaragua. Those people are politicians who are in prison. Don’t talk to me about political prisoners. We don’t have any. We have imprisoned politicians, and there are not 770 of them. […] In regards to prisoners, [the opposition] is doing the same thing they did with the casualty lists during the failed coup. They made up dead people.

Wilfredo Navarro is a former supporter of Arnoldo Aleman, and erstwhile critic of Daniel Ortega. Navarro turned and joined the FSLN officially. He now represents the government of Daniel Ortega in the negotiations.

The Ministry for the Interior (MiGob) described those excarcelated as people who had committed “ordinary crimes against security and disturbing the peace.” The names, addresses, and ID numbers of all fifty were published on line and have been widely disseminated.

The excarcelated prisoners include Yaritza Mairena, Johana Espinoza Delgado, Nelly Roque, and Solange Centeno, four of the eight prisoners who staged a hunger strike, Levis Rugama, who was among the prisoners who staged a protest inside the Modelo prison, on March 8, and Max Cruz, whose brother committed suicide while in hiding.

Redacted List of Excarcerated Prisoners (March 15)

Mr. Cruz and his wife, Marbi Salazar, arrived at their home in the island of Ometepe, and Levis Rugama was greeted by his grandmother in Matagalpa

Today’s homecomings also made it clear that political prisoners are not backing down. Some, like Yaritza Mairena, spoke to the press upon release. Mairena said that she does not know her legal status, as no one told her. “They just woke us up at 3 am. They told us we were going to court. They never said they were bringing us home.” However, Mairena and her cellmates already knew about the scheduled excarcelations. She also had something to say about Mons. Sommertag’s visit to La Esperanza. According to Mairena, the Apostolic Nuncio told the women that their hunger strike was “not the right way to protest.”

“I don’t know what his intentions were. I don’t know who he was representing, but it seems that he was sent by the government. He came and said that we needed to stop delaying the negotiation process with our hunger strike. He told the women a hunger strike was not the correct way to protest, and he exhorted us to stop protesting. We thought that was incredible, coming from the Nuncio, who should be neutral.

Reacting to the excarcelations, Azahalea Solis, alternate negotiator for the Alianza Civica, stated that “the prisoners have not been liberated. We demand unconditional freedom.”

Solis is the only Alianza member to have said anything, thus far. However, the small number of excarcelations undermines the Alianza’s public profile. They agreed to return to negotiations in exchange for the excarcelation of  “an appreciable nucleus” of inmates TODAY, and they got fifty. Cartoonist Pedro Molina, who has been a relentless critic of the dictatorship and the Alianza, indicated that the coalition had been duped again.

“The dictatorship fooled you again, and you are, again, made out to be liars. Your “appreciable nucleus” isn’t even 5% of the political prisoners. What will you do now? will you remain “pragmatic”? have some dignity!!!

As the prisoner excarcelation unfolded, the Orteguista Police issued a statement forbidding any marches and/or mobilizations, a prohibition directly aimed at Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco (UNAB) and the Coalición Universitaria. Both organizations called for a march, tomorrow at 2 pm Managua time, to demand the release of all political prisoners. The hashtag for the event is #ALaCalle (to the streets.

 

The Police’s statement qualifies UNAB and the Coalicion’s call as “fake news”, stating that they “do not authorize any activity that can disrupt the tranquility of Nicaraguan families.

These calls [for public protests] and fake news continue the terrorist, coup mongering provocations and crimes, which caused grief, affliction, and pain in Nicaragua.

The National Police reiterates its compliance with its constitutional duty to guarantee citizens’ security and tranquility, and to hold responsible and bring charges against anyone who wants to alter the peace and coexistence of our people, our culture, and tradition.

The police’s statement makes it clear that the apparent olive branch extended to get the Alianza to return to the negotiating table is a ruse. OrMu’s resolve to violate civil liberties is as strong as ever. If people march tomorrow, they will be arrested (UPDATE: as it turns out, over 160 protesters were arrested and later released). Anyone who gets arrested for marching would effectively replace someone excarcelated today, for the same thing.

In spite of the prohibition to march, many Nicaraguan citizens took to the streets, with their flags, to cheer on the buses transporting prisoners of conscience, as they made their way home.

In the afternoon, though, local independent media broke the story that at least two of the buses were decoys, carrying guards.  According to journalist Wilfredo Miranda, the decoys meant to fool the local and international press so that they would not be at hand to film the homecomings. The tactic failed, as many journalists covered the story anyway, and friends and family members, as well as many other Nicaraguans, were at hand with cellphones to fill in any gaps.

Ironically, the decoys included a yellow bus with draped windows that was cheered enthusiastically as it drove by, since the color was unmistakable and everyone assumed that the prisoners were in it. Journalist Cristhel Jimenez, of Channel 12, who followed the yellow bus to Nagarote, confirmed it was carrying guards and penitentiary staff. La Prensa reporters also followed the yellow bus to Leon. They described how the bus stopped at a gas station, filled up, turned around, and headed back to Managua.

Dora Maria Tellez, of the MRS, mocked the government for the decoy buses. “Whose great idea was it, to use decoys […] to fool the press? What they really achieved was a great job in getting people excited on the North Highway and all the way to Leon. What a defeat!”

Based on today’s impromptu mobilizations, if a march takes place tomorrow, it would reiterate the will of most Nicaraguan people who do not support the OrMu dictatorship anymore. Via twitter, UNAB reiterated the call to march tomorrow, invoking article 54 of the Nicaraguan Constitution that guarantees freedom of assembly and mobilization.

UNAB also sent letters to the Alianza Civica, the Nunciature, and the OAS envoy, Luis Angel Rosadilla, asking for their support for the march. “We ask for your good offices in reminding the Government of Nicaragua that one of the conditions for a serious dialogue […] is respect for constitutional rights, in this case, the right to mobilize.”

The Alianza, the Nunciature, and the OAS have yet to respond.

 

 

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