Coronavirus: Nicaragua releases 1,700 detainees

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Since the end of March, many countries have released prisoners to prevent them from becoming infected with the coronavirus. This Wednesday, April 8, Nicaragua released 1,700, but those who, according to their lawyers, are detained for opposing the government of Daniel Ortega were not so fortunate.

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Nearly 1,700 Nicaraguan prisoners have been released from prison to be placed under house arrest. But among them are none of the 70 people locked up for opposing President Ortega, according to human rights organizations.

" We demand equality and freedom, all those imprisoned have the right to health and to life, " tweeted lawyer Yonarqui Martinez who filed a complaint against the Interior Ministry to force him to implement the recommendations WHO and Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who advise states through the release of some of their detainees to prevent Covid-19 from ravaging prisons.

Officially six infected people

On the other hand, to explain these outings from prison, Vice-President Rosario Murillo spoke of " promoting family unity and social reintegration ", not a pandemic. Because according to the government, in Nicaragua, only six people were infected and one killed.

Nicaragua is the only Latin American country that has not at least partially closed its borders, there are no containment measures either and schools and markets remain open. The opposition questions the reality of the figures provided by the government and calls on the population to stay at home. President Ortega has not appeared to him in public for almost a month, which raises doubts about a possible Covid-19 infection.

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• Nicaragua
• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Daniel Ortega