Calls are mounting for dozens of opposition figures jailed in Nicaragua to be freed, after the death of a would-be presidential candidate during the weekend spurred fears for the health and safety of others. Hugo Torres, a 73-year-old former companion in arms of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, died in detention on Saturday after concerns were repeatedly expressed for his well-being. Other inmates also are in dire straits, according to family members and rights defenders, who say the prisoners are malnourished, losing weight, teeth, and memory, and getting weaker by the day.
Ortega, who secured a fourth consecutive term in November elections, has faced widespread criticism from rights groups, opposition figures, and international observers who decried the vote as “a sham.” They also described a months-long government crackdown on dissent— during which dozens of opposition figures, including seven presidential hopefuls, were detained— in what rights groups said was an effort to guarantee Ortega’s re-election. Torres was expected to be a candidate in that presidential vote, but he was arrested along with the other opposition leaders. U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary Brian Nichols said that “continuing to detain prisoners under these conditions, especially the elderly, is unacceptable” and urged “their immediate release.”
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