International • • • 🌿 Progressive

Edificio de un tribunal con columnas al anochecer y un sobre sellado con una pluma sobre los escalones de piedra
Sobre sellado en la escalinata de un tribunal, imagen alusiva a la petición presentada ante la Fiscalía de Estados Unidos. · Imagen generada para EPM

Nicaraguan opponents seek U.S. inquiry into three alleged murders

Nicaraguan opponents asked Attorney General Todd Blanche on October 21 to investigate Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo over the alleged murders of three…

--- The context --- A group of Nicaraguan opponents has taken beyond their country a demand for justice that, they argue, has found no answers in Nicaragua. It is addressed to the United States because the three victims are presented as United States citizens, opening an examinable legal path. --- The facts --- The petition was delivered on October 21 to Attorney General Todd Blanche and asks that Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo be investigated and prosecuted for the alleged murders of three United States citizens between 2018 and 2019. It was signed by Alfredo Gutiérrez, Félix Maradiaga, Jaime Arellano and Medardo Mairena, of Liberales Nicaragua, the Movimiento Campesino de Nicaragua and Ruta del Cambio. The investigation is asked to reach subordinates, using arrest warrants, international notices and rewards. The central case is Eddy Antonio Montes Praslin, a Navy veteran who died on May 16, 2019, at La Modelo prison after being detained during civic protests; according to Maradiaga, he died from a shot fired by a guard, and the State Department condemned that death. The letter asks to investigate the murder of Sixto Henry Vera in Managua in June 2018, with a police version questioned after documentation showed one of those accused had been hospitalized since before. The third case is Ariana Enid Martínez García, murdered in Matagalpa in September 2019, with a conviction against the material author and, as presented, testimonies about threats and possible links with pro-government structures. --- The positions --- Maradiaga, president of Ruta del Cambio, said in statements that justice is being sought for the victims and a path for their families, that evidence should be gathered until the alleged responsible parties are held accountable. In attributed indirect form, he argued that no post should serve to evade justice. --- What remains unknown --- Maradiaga clarified that there is no arrest warrant and no charges have been brought. Prosecutors will have to assess jurisdiction, examine documents and interview witnesses. An eventual detention outside Nicaragua would depend on valid warrants, cooperation from other countries, extradition and immunity decisions. --- Unanswered questions --- Will United States prosecutors open an investigation into the three cases? What documents and testimonies will the signatories provide on the alleged responsibility of Ortega and Murillo? Will what happened to Eddy Montes, Sixto Henry Vera and Ariana Enid Martínez García be clarified? --- EPM analysis --- The petition centers its argument on the families, who, according to the signatories, are still waiting for clarification. It rests on the victims' citizenship and on the claim of institutional control by Ortega and Murillo. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, this petition deserves to be evaluated seriously because behind each file there is a family waiting for answers since 2018 and 2019 without a full clarification in Nicaragua. Seeking justice outside the country does not replace due process, but it offers a path for documents, witnesses and alleged responsibilities to be examined by a different authority. If prosecutors find grounds, the process will be complex and prolonged, as Maradiaga warned, but opening that review would be a concrete step toward the truth the victims demand.
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