Cristiana Chamorro Marks 100 Days Isolated under House Arrest
HAVANA TIMES – On June 2, Cristiana Chamorro Barrios, former director of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, was placed under house arrest following a police ransacking of her home. A number of well-known international personalities have pronounced these actions baseless and arbitrary. Today, Chamorro is marking 100 days as a political prisoner, totally isolated and surrounded by Police
Cristiana Chamorro was the third to be arrested, in the latest wave of repression that now totals 36 political prisoners in the last 105 days. Four of them are being held under house arrest, and the rest are confined to cells at the infamous “New Chipote” jail.
Managua Criminal Court Judge Karen Chavarria Morales was the one to order the police to detain Chamorro and search her house. The raid on her home lasted for five hours, after which Chamorro was left with no internet access and all of her electronic devices stolen, according to information from relatives.
The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) granted protective measures for Chamorro, who shortly before her arrest had declared her intention to run for president as an independent candidate. They also issued protective measures for two former employees of the Violeta Barrios Foundation who were also arrested by the government of Daniel Ortega. According to Resolution 49/2021 of the IACHR, establishing the protective measures, these detainees are considered “at serious and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm.”
Nearly three months after ordering Cristiana Chamorro’s house arrest, the Prosecution broadened the accusation against her, accusing Chamorro and nine others of a slew of invented of crimes, among them money and asset laundering, mismanagement and misappropriation. Absolutely no evidence has been made public to support any of the accusations.
Legal experts consulted by La Prensa indicated that legal cases like what Chamorro is facing are “null and void”, due to the arbitrary procedures employed, such as holding the June 3rd preliminary hearing without her lawyer’s presence.
The Public Prosecutor’s office formally lodged charges on September 2nd against Chamorro and nine other defendants. The pre-trail hearing was held in the office of the Chipote jail. Family members of the accused were not allowed in.
Cristiana Chamorro is the daughter of former Nicaraguan president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who led the country from 1990-97.