• Nicaragua.The Government of Daniel Ortega releases dozens of political prisoners

"We hope that 2020 will be the year of victory after having lived through terrible things," the young student leader Amaya Coppens advances to EL MUNDO from her home in Estelí. The family home that, since its release on New Year's Eve, has suffered the onslaught of paramilitaries and Sandinista mobs, with the throwing of stones and oil, even scratching the walls. To make it clear that hell extends beyond bars.

Coppens, of a Belgian father and who has dual citizenship, has been imprisoned for almost two months, among constant mistreatment, for being one of the 15 members of the "band of waterboats", as they themselves were baptized. The regime accused them of dealing with very strange weapons: the water and food that led the mothers on hunger strike in the parish of San Miguel Arcángel in Masaya. This is his second imprisonment, since in 2018 he was accused of terrorism after leading a demonstration shouting "Let your mother and grandmother give up too!", A sly message addressed to Rosario Murillo. In total, almost 300 days in jail for an innocent young woman.

A photograph of him is already part of the historical archive of the fight against the tyrants of Latin America. In it, the 25-year-old girl appears with several of her resistance mates. They wear blue, uniform of the dams. His dolls, imprisoned to the pain by plastic tapes, as if they were really the terrorists who justify from the government of Daniel Ortega. Behind them, holding them as if they were going to run away, the Orteguist policemen, who hide their faces to avoid national shame. And between fear and anger, Amaya's smile, which is never lacking even in the worst moments. The young woman who fights terror with a smile. "The certainty of knowing ourselves innocent and that our struggle is fair. That is why I smile," he confirms to this newspaper.

Lawyers and family reported constant abuse and abuse in prison. They not only groped the girls, especially Amaya, they also stripped them up to three times a day for the jailers' solace . The same who groped their food to contaminate it and cause constant gastroenteritis.

Tortured, beaten, in terrible confinement conditions. Why such viciousness and cruelty against this young woman? Amaya has become the symbol of the awakening of young people, a heroine capable of leading a fight for freedom. He only has a few months to finish the medical career after being expelled from the University of Leon and also speaks three languages. She has also worked as a radio broadcaster and as a muralist in her native Estelí. And he never loses his smile, too much light for the Sandinista shadows.

"I feel a mixture of joy for being with my family and sadness for the companions who remain in prison. We appreciate all the solidarity we are receiving. And we continue together, even from inside the jail. When we were there we sang the national anthem, we shouted our slogans, "adds Amaya, whose two brothers, aged 28 and 16, were also savagely beaten at Christmas while claiming their freedom.

Coppens's lawyers still do not know in depth what are the precautionary measures that the young woman will suffer under the regime of "family life", "but for now I can leave home but not the department (region)".

Amaya Coppens's family has tried to convince her to go into exile in Europe, but the young woman only took advantage of that family advantage to tour the continent that also took her to Spain. "Let the world know, that in Nicaragua there is dictatorship!" Said the young woman on the 24-hour Spanish Television Channel. And he said it firmly, securely and without losing his smile.

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