On April 7th and Open Letter to the Government of Nicaragua was published, signed by over 400 people of faith in the United States, calling on the government to end the cruel and unjust treatment of political prisoners. What follows is the reaction of Pinita Gurdian to the letter. She is the mother and grandmother of two of the political prisoners.
The letter of 400 people of faith to the Government of Nicaragua
By Pinita Gurdián In Confidencial, April 11, 2022
I can say that I am suffering my own Calvary and I am in solidarity personally with all those people suffering as I am.
I have read and been surprised by the open letter to the government of Nicaragua signed by more than 400 people from different faiths in the United States who are in solidarity with our pain. As the mother of Ana Margarita Vijil and the grandmother of Tamara Dávila, both political prisoners and kept in isolation for exactly 10 months and thinking about the more than 180 political prisoners and their families, I want express thanks with my whole heart for the generosity of that letter.
This gesture moves me because they are people who do not know us but who identify with our suffering and with the terrible situation we are experiencing. They also share the pain of the family members of those who died, the suffering that the people who were wounded experience, and the suffering of the migrants who have seen themselves forced to leave the country, all a consequence of the conflicts that began in 2018.
The letter is a proof of how faith and solidarity cross borders and strengthen the spirit. In my Catholic tradition we talk about the “communion of saints” which is the spiritual union of the living and the dead. In this case people expressed that they believe in justice and are in solidarity with their sisters and brothers who are suffering. There is strength in that spiritual connection.
Today is Holy Monday and I am celebrating 78 years of life. Tomorrow April 12 will be the birthday of my six-year-old great grandniece who will not be able to be beside her mother Tamara. For ten long months she has not been allowed to see her mother, which tortures her, is cruel and inhuman for her and the entire family.
The compassion which the letter reflects is like balm for my broken heart. Experiencing these days of Holy Week when we commemorate the death and resurrection of our Lord, I can say that I am suffering my own Calvary and I am in solidarity personally with all those who are suffering as I am. I am grateful for the generous gesture of so many people who, without knowing us, have raised their voices in favor of justice.
I ask the Government to end the repression and begin to practice compassion for its people. That power is in their hands. That they free all the political prisoners because they are innocent.
From the depths of my heart, I ask the God of Life that his justice and mercy be manifested this Holy Week.
*Mother and grandmother of political prisoners