By IWU-FI
17 February 2022. We reproduce the text of the international united campaign for the release of Dora Maria Tellez, former Sandinista commander, and other political prisoners under the dictatorial regime of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.
IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE FOR DORA MARIA TELLEZ AND POLITICAL PRISONERS IN NICARAGUA
On the morning of 13 June 2021, Dora Maria Tellez, the heroine of the Sandinista revolution in the late 1970s, was arrested. Along with Dora Maria, Ana Vijil, a member of the Sandinista Renovation Movement, was also arrested.
On 1 February 2022, trials resumed against 36 political prisoners who were arrested in June 2021, considered dangerous for the Ortega government, including Dora Maria Tellez and student leader Lesther Aleman, who publicly confronted Daniel Ortega during the 2018 uprising, after the Sandinista government implemented an austerity plan dictated by the International Monetary Fund. Among these plans was an attack on the pension system that provoked a popular uprising led by young university students shouting “not with the grandparents”. The revolt was crushed, leaving 300 people dead, 1,000 wounded, 115 political prisoners and 70,000 more in exile.
On 3 February, Dora Maria and Lesther Aleman were sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crimes of “undermining national integrity” and “conspiracy”. This news outrages us and fills us with anger, as well as the inhumane treatment of political prisoners, beatings, torture and lack of due process. Relatives and eyewitnesses denounce that Dora Maria was beaten during her detention. They have also convicted ana Maria Vigil on the same charges.
They have held the trials behind closed doors, in total secrecy, inside the dungeons where the capitalist government of Daniel Ortega holds hostage all those he considers “opponents”, and they have denied their families the right to be present during the trial. According to Dora Maria’s lawyers, trials should be held in court, not in prison. The families of the political prisoners have denounced this manoeuvre by the government to prevent images from being leaked to the media that would show the physical and emotional deterioration they are suffering because of the torture they are undergoing.
For this reason, social, political, trade union and student organisations, as well as people in solidarity with the cause of the Nicaraguan people against the dictatorship of Ortega and the FSLN, demand that an international commission be organised to visit and document the conditions of the political prisoners in Nicaragua, their physical and mental state of health, that the Nicaraguan government withdraw all accusations against the political prisoners and that they be released.
Signatures:
La Marx Mexico
Revolutionary Workers Party (Costa Rica)
Socialist Workers Group (Mexico)
La Marx Brazil
David Morera Herrera, sociologist National University of Costa Rica
Patricia Ramos Con, Lawyer, Office of Gender Equity, Technological Institute, Costa Rica
Stella Chinchilla, independent popular communicator, (Costa Rica)
Grace Serrano for the Executive Committee of the Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT) Costa Rica
Adrian Jaen España, sociologist and national leader of the Housing Bloc, (Costa Rica)
Socorro Trejos, Maria Jose Lechado and Maria de los Angeles Tellez, Housing Fight Committee Monte Alto Alajuelita, (Costa Rica)
Victor Segura Ramirez, Organising Secretary of the Union of Employees of the National Child Welfare Agency (PANI), Costa Rica.
Franklin Quesada Campos, Director of the General Workers Union (CGT), Costa Rica.
Juan Carlos Zamora Ureña, sociologist, university professor (Costa Rica)
Juan Almonte, Lawyer (Dominican Republic)
Jean Moreno, Secondary School Teacher, Costa Rica
Socialist Workers Group (Colombia)
Juan Carlos Giordano, national deputy elected, Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Monica Schlotthauer, National Deputy-elect, Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Mercedes de Mendieta, National MP elected, Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Mercedes Trimarchi, elected legislator CABA (City of Buenos Aires), Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Pablo Almeida, legislator-elect CABA, Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Noelia Agüero, legislator Cordoba Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Blanca Lopez, a legislator from Neuquen Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity (Argentina)
Angelica Lagunas, a member of Socialist Left in the Left Front-Unity and current General Secretary of Aten Capital (Argentina).
Miguel Sorans, leader of the International Workers’ Unity – Fourth International (UIT-CI) and coordinator of the Simon Bolivar Brigade (1979).
David Orta. Internationalist Fight. Delegate of the workers of Titanlux, chemical workers of COBAS. (Spanish State)
Toni Granados. Ex-Councillor of Internationalist Fight for Girona from the CUP-Crida per Girona candidacy. Chemicals delegate of COS. (Spanish State)
Josep Lluis del Alcazar. Internationalist Fight. A representative of repressed teachers of Baix Llobregat (Barcelona). (Spanish State)
Pedro Mercadé. Internationalist Fight. A CGT delegate of public school teachers of Baix Llobregat (Barcelona). (Spanish State)
Cristina Mas. A member of Internationalist Fight. A Journalist and worker delegate. Member of platforms in defence of refugees and internationalists. (Spanish State)
Txema Morillo. A member of Internationalist Fight. An activist in platforms in defence of migrants. (Spanish State)
Marc del Alcazar Julia. A member of Internationalist Fight. Student and activist in the UB faculty assemblies. (Spanish State)
Miquel Blanch. A member of Internationalist Fight. Former delegate of the Adult Education Schools of Girona for CCOO (union). A member of the Current for a Turn to the Left in CCOO. (Spanish State)
Anna Morello. A member of Internationalist Fight. A public secondary school teacher in St. Andreu de la Barca (Barcelona).
Adriana Beidenägl. Internationalist Fight. Member of Pensionists Wave Catalunya (Spanish State).
Marga Olalla. Internationalist Fight. Trade union activist among the workers of the Barcelona City Council. (Spanish State)
Carlos Rodríguez. Internationalist Fight. Pensionists Wave Valencia. (Spanish State)
Víctor Messeguer. Internationalist Fight. Public worker of the Generalitat. (Spanish State)
Alfons Enrique. Internationalist Fight. Also, a member of the Current for a Turn to the Left CCOO worker delegate in Girona. Member of CCOO. (Spanish State)
Cristina Darriba. Internationalist Fight. Architect. Activist in the Crida LGTB (Spanish State)
Isarn Pardes. Internationalist Fight. Anti-repressive movement of Lleida. (Spanish State)
Rosario Mendieta. Internationalist Fight. An activist in the feminist movement, Catalunya. (Spanish State)
Josep A. Barberà. Internationalist Fight. An activist in defence of the right to housing (Sindicat de Llogaters de Vilafranca) (Spanish State)
Guillermo S. Schelling. Internationalist Fight. Responsible for immigration in the Assamblea Nacional de Catalunya (Spanish State)
Lorena Mulero. Internationalist Fight. A member of the Feminist movement Lleida. (Spanish State)
Anna Lletjos. A member of Internationalist Fight. Architect and activist in pro-housing movements. (Spanish State)
M. Esther del Alcazar. A member of Internationalist Fight. Teacher and representative of LI in the candidacy of CUP-G and CUP-Per la Ruptura (Spanish State).
Humberto Balderrama, a member of the National Directorate of the Partido de los Trabajadores (Bolivia).
Eliseo Mamani, former executive, Rural Teachers Federation, La Paz (Bolivia)
Revolutionary Socialist Movement (Brazil)
Socialist Youth (Honduras)
La Marx Women / International Platform against Feminicides and Disappearances (Mexico)
Francisco Villa Independent Popular Front (Mexico)
New Socialist Workers’ Party (Argentina)
Generating Movement, General Motors de Silao, Guanajuato (Mexico)
People’s Front (Mexico)
Internationalist Trotskyist Nucleus-Fourth International (Mexico)
Jennifer Valeska Sanchez Morales, economist (Nicaragua)
Joao Batista Araujo “Baba”, Rio de Janeiro CST-PSOL (Brazil)
Ranier Rios Puebla, leader MST (Socialist Workers Movement) (Chile)
Emmanuel Santos, Socialist Core (USA)
Priscilla Vasquez, national leader of the Social Security workers and Socialist Proposal (Panama)
Virgilio Arauz, a leader of Socialist Proposal (Panama)
Maria Jose Herrera, mother of the Commission of the International Campaign Where is Camila Cinali, Disappeared by Trafficking (Argentina)
Greta Roquero Journalist (Argentina)
Celina Contu, lawyer (Argentina)
Jose Angel Garrido, a Trotskyist militant and Spanish language specialist (Panama)
Daniel Campos, Marxist economist (Argentina)
Jorge Corzo, leader of the Partido de los Trabajadores Uníos (Peru)
Enrique Fernández Chacón, former national deputy of Uníos in Peru
Enrique Gómez, Francisco Retama, leaders of Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) (Mexico)
Jesus Torres Nuño, former president of the Board of Directors of Democratic Workers of the West (Tradoc) (Mexico).
Henry Morel, journalist and activist of the MST (Movimiento Socialista de los Trabajadores, Socialist Workers Movement) (Dominican Republic)
Sedat Durel, General Secretary of the Trade Union of Revolutionary Telecommunication and Call Centre Workers (Turkey)
Atakan Çiftçi, a delegate of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers (Turkey)
Oktay Çelik, President Workers’ Democracy Party (IDP) (Turkey)
Gorkem Duru, an IDP leader (Turkey)
Jose Bodas, General Secretary of the Unitary Federation of Oil Workers of Venezuela (Futpv) (Venezuela)
Orlando Chirino, national leader of the Classist, Unitary, Revolutionary and Autonomous Current (C-cura) (Venezuela)
Armando Guerra, former trade union leader of Hidrocapital (Venezuela)
Miguel Angel Hernandez, Secretary-General of Socialism and Freedom Party (PSL) (Venezuela)
Simon Rodriguez Porras (PSL) (Venezuela)
Ana Laura Hernandez / La Marx Mexico
Mariano Diaz / Socialist Workers Group (Mexico)
Ofelia Rivera, Section XXII CNTE (Mexico)
Dr. Olivo Garcia / La Marx Mexico
Jesus Valdez, editor of @Revolucion / La Marx Mexico
Tomas Andino Mencia, former UD national deputy and popular activist (Honduras)
Carlos Lanza, curator and art critic (Honduras)
David Velasco, Section 22 CNTE / La Marx Mexico
Lorena Zayas Cruz, Section 22 CNTE / La Marx México
Miguel Barrios Gutierrez, construction worker and militant of the PRT Costa Rica
Alejandro Benedetti, journalist, Argentina / Editor of @Revolución and militant of the New PST
La Voz del Anahuac, Mexico
Vladimir de la Cruz, Historian, a member of the University Council of the State University (Costa Rica)
Ernesto Garcia Linares, popular activist (El Salvador)
Allan Duarte, International Lawyer (Guatemala)
Professor Rafael Capellan, Dominican Republic
Roberto Espinal, Dominican Republic
Guillermo Carvajal Alvarado, Professor University of Costa Rica
Humberto Bautista, Secretary-General of the Union of Workers of the Metro Collective Transport System “Libertad”.
Roberto Espinal, Medical doctor and university professor (Dominican Republic)
Rafael Alfaro Velasco, Section 22 CNTE / La Marx Mexico
Dr. Luisa Liliana Hermosilla. Salta, (Argentina)
Mariano Cordero, Labour Lawyer, Chihuahua, Mexico
Rafael Morera Ramos, Secondary School Student (Costa Rica)
Tobias Fernandez, public school teacher, Dominican Republic
Rafael Encarnacion, Revolutionary Socialists of Dominican Republic
Raymundo Hernandez, General Coordinator of the Emiliano Zapata Brigades of Mexico (BEZ-MEX)
Rebeca Monteiro, Lawyer (Brazil)
Gisele Sifroni, Professor, Federal University of Amazonas, (Brazil)
