In La Prensa, Feb 2, 2022
The political leader and feminist was declared guilty of “conspiracy to commit damage to national Integrity, to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua” in the second day of trials against political prisoners in Nicaragua.
In the second day of trials against the political prisoners who remain in the installations of the Office of Judicial Support (DAJ), known as the new Chipote, the political leader and feminist Ana Margarita Vijil was declared guilty.
Pinita Gurdián, the mother of Vijil, spoke in a video that at the conclusion of her trial, her daughter “with great dignity and courage”, declared herself to be a defender of human rights and stated that this is a work that she will continue exercising for the rest of her life. In addition, on signing the legal document, under her name she wrote “political prisoner”.
“My family is another victim in this country. They have disrupted our peace and tranquility, creating such anxiety that has put me at death´s door. All this for having illegally arrested my daughter, for having kept her in a status of forced disappearance for 80 days, for having kept her in a isolated call and deprived of everything for 235 days. Because it was not until some days ago that we were able to give her a blanket, we have not been able to pass her food, and because she is being tried for crimes that she has not committed, and the basic conditions of legal standing have not been respected,” said Gurdián.
Ana Margarita Vijil has been incarcerated since June 13, 2021, accused of “conspiracy to commit damage to national integrity, to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua.”
The Family requests freedom and justice
Gurdián demanded freedom and justice for her daughter Ana Margarita, for her granddaughter Tamara Dávila, also a political prisoners; “for the more than 170 political prisoners, and for all the victims of this tragedy and for all of Nicaragua.”
Vijil is a leader of the UNAMOS political organization, previously the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS). They captured her on June 13, and since that date she has remained in an isolated call in the installations of the Evarista Vásquez Sánchez Complex, known as the new Chipote.Gurdián demanded freedom and justice for her daughter Ana Margarita, for her granddaughter, Tamara Dávila, also a political prisoner; “for the more than 170 political prisoners, and for all the victims of this tragedy and for all of Nicaragua.”
The leader of UNAMOS is part of the 41 political prisoners who remain in the new Chipote. These people were arrested between May 28 and November 22 of last year.
After months of having their legal processes paralyzed, at the beginning of this week the Public Ministry announced the start of the trials for these arrested people and another four who remain under house arrest. In the criteria of specialists, the prosecutors of the Public Ministry committed a crime while announcing the trails and referring to the prisoners as “criminals and terrorists.”
There are already five found guilty
With Vijil there are now five political prisoners found guilty of the group of more than forty arrested during the most recent repressive wave of the regime of Daniel Ortega. All are accused and found guilty based on supposed evidence created in the package of laws approved at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The Vijil Gurdián family described the trail against Ana Margarita as “Illegal and illegitimate” and stated that they found her guilty for her work in defense of human rights, also for dreaming and working for a Nicaragua with justice and freedom.
On Tuesday February 1 the trials were reactivated. The political prisoners Yader Parajón and Yaser Muhanmar Vado González were found guilty and their sentences will be made known next Friday.
In recent days Donald Margarito Alvarenga Mendoza and Douglas Alfredo Cerros Lanzas were found guilty of “propagating false news” and “damage to national integrity”. Alvarenga is 56 years of age and is the first Nicaraguan found guilty under the Law of Cybercrimes and Betrayal of the Fatherland. Initially Judge Rosa Velia Baca Cardoza imposed a sentence of 7 years in prison, but later rectified the sentence and expanded the punishment to 12 years in prison.
Cerros Lanzas, 53 years of age, still has not been sentenced. In both cases the evidence used against them by the judges to find them guilty were the alleged publications in their social networks and Whatsapp groups.
Trials are described as judicial farses
Even though according to the existing norms the trials should last ten days, during which all the motions promoted by the defense should be ruled on, the judges are carrying them out in a few hours, in other words, in express form.
In addition, even though the trials have to be oral and public, according to the law, these processes continue to be held behind closed doors. Josefina Vijil, sister of Ana Margarita, showed up at the installations of the new Chipote to try to enter the process. But it was not until several hours of insisting that the entry of only one family member was allowed.
Also, according to a denouncement that the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) made, they authorized the introduction of food for the defense attorneys, but they did not allow anything for Ana Margarita.
These processes will continue in the coming days. Up to now it is known that the campaign will continue on Thursday February 3 with the trails against the former guerrilla comandante Dora María Téllez; the student leader Lesther Alemán and Alexis Peralta.
For Friday, February 4, the trial is scheduled for the journalist and presidential candidate Miguel Mora. Then, the trials will begin again on Monday February 7 to process the leader of UNAMOS, Suyen Barahona. On Tuesday February 8 is scheduled the trail of the journalist Miguel Mendoza; Wednesday February 9 that of the political scientist José Antonio Peraza; and on Friday February 11 that of former foreign minister Victor Hugo Tinoco.
According to the schedule, on Monday February 14 the trial will be held of the lawyer María Oviedo; on Wednesday February 16 that of the former diplomat Mauricio Díaz.
Then after a pause, the trails will begin again on Thursday February 24 with the process against the presidential candidate Noel Vidaurre and the political commentator Jaime Arellano, who like Vidaurre remains under house arrest.
On Monday February 28 is scheduled the trail against the social leader Irving Larios; while the general manager of La Prensa, Juan Lorenzo Holmann has his trial scheduled for Monday, March 21. Some thirty political prisoners are still not included in this schedule. Most of them remain in the installations of the new Chipote.