Nicaragua opposition leader ‘guilty’ of anti-Ortega crimes

The Nicaragua opposition leader and former candidate for the presidency, Cristiana Chamorro, was found guilty on Friday of crimes charged by the government of Daniel Ortega , which prevented her from competing last year against the re-election of the president, reported a relative.

In the trial, her brother, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, and three former employees of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH) were also sentenced for crimes such as money laundering and abusive management. “They found everyone guilty (…) on March 21 they will read the sentence,” Olama Hurtado, Chamorro’s niece, told AFP.

Cristiana Chamorro, 68, is the daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1990-1997) and has been under house arrest since June 2, 2021. She was also emerging as the favorite in the polls to face Ortega in the elections in November of elections.

“They want to stain my name, but they will not succeed, but they will never succeed in staining the name of my father, or my mother, because I am innocent,” said the opponent at the end of the trial, according to the internet portal 100 % News, critical of the government.

The sentence came after a seven-day trial, without access to the press or the public, held in the prison of the Police Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ) in Managua, known as El Chipote.

Chamorro, a journalist by profession, is one of the seven former presidential candidates who were arrested last year, along with 39 opponents, in the run-up to the November 7 elections, in which Ortega won a fourth consecutive term.

Mandate questioned
Ortega, a 76-year-old former guerrilla, has been in power since 2007. His recent mandate has been questioned by the international community, including the OAS, the United States and the European Union, for considering that the Nicaraguan elections were not democratic.

The Foundation, named after her mother, was dedicated to promoting press freedom and training journalists.

During the process, the prosecution, in the hands of the ruling party, accused the FVBCH of financing journalists and media outlets to “destabilize the smooth running” of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) government.