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In a gesture of goodwill that would allow the continuation of negotiations with the opposition, the Nicaraguan government released Friday, March 15, 50 prisoners incarcerated for taking part in protests against President Daniel Ortega.
With our correspondent in Mexico, Patrick John Buffe
This is the second group of released opponents. A hundred people had already been released on February 27, a few hours before the start of the dialogue to get out of the political and social crisis that the country has been going through for almost a year.
This time, the government pledged to release " a significant number of prisoners ". In the end, there were only fifty out of prison and they only received parole or house arrest. For the platform of the opposition Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy (ACJD), it is an insufficient number. Especially since there are still nearly six hundred demonstrators detained in the jails of Daniel Ortega's regime.
These first releases come after a stalemate in the talks, which the Civic Alliance had suspended its participation last Sunday. It demanded from the government " indisputable proof " of its willingness to negotiate. President Ortega's promise to release opponents has allowed dialogue to resume. But this time, without the presence of students who demand an absolute and unconditional release of all political prisoners.
It is precisely to make their demands heard that they called the Nicaraguans out this Saturday in the streets of the capital, braving the prohibition of demonstrations imposed by the government since last November. The police have already announced that it will not allow this march of the opposition.