“It's Exile, Prison or Death”: The Crude Testimonies of the Families of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua

Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Renata Holmann, Cristopher Mendoza, Lourdes Arroliga and Lucia Pineda Ubau narrated the brutality of Daniel Ortega's regime towards political prisoners in Nicaragua.

As part of the half-year meeting of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), these journalists spoke on a panel under the moderation of Gabriela Vicanco, a journalist for the newspaper La Hora in Ecuador.

Carlos Fernando Chamorro said: “Nicaragua must win freedom with the release of political prisoners who represent the hope of democratic change.”

He added: “My cousin Juan Lorenzo Holmann is the fourth member of my family to have been convicted in a cowardly act of political vengeance by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, in an attempt to crush the right to free elections.”

For her part, Renata Holmann, daughter of the aforementioned Juan Lorenzo Holmann, director of La Prensa, denounced the inhumane conditions in which her father is detained. “He remains firm in his values and commitments to Nicaragua. Today, more than ever, my dad sees the importance of defending freedom of expression,” he said.

“We are extremely concerned about their physical and mental health. We reject the accusations because he is innocent,” she said tearfully and unleashed the applause of all the listeners.

Journalist Cristopher Mendoza, nephew of fellow journalist Miguel Mendoza, who was imprisoned by the regime, denounced that his uncle was arrested “for extending his opinion and telling the public about it. He was found guilty on false accusations,” he said.

He recalled that Miguel Mendoza said that it is a blessing for him to be a journalist. “Journalism is more a matter of personal satisfaction than economic,” he said.

And he read a letter from his family member: “In these years I witnessed families who lost loved ones and others like me who continue to be deprived of liberty. My eight-year-old daughter is the one who suffers most from my absence,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, journalist Lourdes Arroliga expressed her solidarity with the families of the hundreds of political prisoners and recounted her personal experience in exile: “In my case, this is the first time I talk about my situation in exile. I don't quite believe that the dictatorship has managed to evolve at an abysmal pace and sweep away all universal human rights.”

“Nicaragua is a country that unfortunately repeated the cycles of its history, a country that suffered the worst dictatorships,” he added.

Finally, Lucía Pineda Ubau reviewed the most emblematic cases of political prisoners in the Central American nation. “You can't work in Nicaragua. It is exile, prison or death,” he stressed.

He recounted: “Four years of repression, imprisonment and death have passed, but independent journalism remains firm and bravely reinvented. Political prisoners are denied sheets, food prepared by family members and visits. Miguel Mora asked for his Bible and they denied it.”

“Political prisoners are kept in their underpants. Only when there are visitors and in court cases do they wear them. We are all condemned if we protest against the regime,” he concluded.

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