After first visit, family of Nicaraguan detainees describe abuseSeveral high-profile opponents of President Daniel Ortega are being held in Nicaragua's notorious El Chipote prisonMANAGUA - Isolation, daily interrogations, threats and hunger: relatives fear for the welfare of dozens of opposition figures held in Nicaragua under conditions denounced by human rights observers. Ortega's government has been accused of political persecution for its rounding up of opposition figures, including seven aspiring presidential candidates. - Talking to spiders -Family members say the prisoners are being held without adequate food and no access to medical care. On Monday, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged the Nicaraguan government to "immediately and unconditionally" release detainees and stop its "persecution of the opposition, the press and civil society." The Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has also called on the Nicaraguan government "to end the harassment of opposition figures, including (human rights) defenders, as well as to immediately free those detained arbitrarily."

Source: Bangkok Post September 15, 2021 01:41 UTC