Nicaragua: Ex Political Prisoner Justino Jarquin Dies in Exile
HAVANA TIMES – Former Nicaraguan political prisoner Justino Jarquín Blandón, known for his participation in the 2018 university resistance, died in exile in the United States on August 2 at the age of 28. His death, caused by a severe infection, has stirred deep emotion among exiles and activists who regard him as a symbol of resistance.
Jarquín passed away in the United States on Saturday, August 2, at 28 years old. He died due to a health complication, and his death has shocked the exile community and activists who oppose the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
A nursing student, Justino Jarquín Blandón joined the university protests in April 2018. He was one of the survivors of the brutal attack by Ortega-aligned paramilitaries and police on July 13 of that year at the UNAN campus, and later at the Church of Divine Mercy, where two young people were killed.
On July 19, 2018, Justino was kidnapped from a safe house and, following an arbitrary judicial process, sentenced to prison. He was finally released on June 10, 2019.
The Facebook page SoyNicaragua reported that Justino Jarquín Blandón died from a bacterial infection caused by Toxoplasma Gondii, which led to inflammation and brain death. His remains will possibly be cremated.
The news has caused deep grief among his fellow activists. Student leader and former political prisoner Yaritzha R. Mairena shared an emotional message, stating that Justino’s death “hurts to the core because it represents one of the many injustices that continue to pile up in Nicaragua’s recent history,” she wrote on her Facebook profile.
The Group for Reflection of Former Political Prisoners (GREX) also mourned his passing, remembering Justino as a “tireless activist and a comrade with an optimistic spirit and contagious joy, who earned the affection of many in prison for his helpful nature and camaraderie.”
Diomedes Galeano, another exiled activist, shared a heartfelt memory on Facebook of the friendship he had with Justino, highlighting his solidarity and loyalty.
“Thank you, my friend, because when they told me I was free of cancer, you were the first to say you’d go with me to fulfill my promise at the Basilica of Los Angeles in Cartago. We walked there together with other friends, and you went on your knees with me from the entrance to the altar so I wouldn’t be alone. Your feet blistered from the 24 km we walked,” Galeano recalled.
He added: “Tell Our Lady of Los Angeles to give us a hand, that this exile is too much already and this world is full of hate and division. Either give us freedom or take us once and for all. Fly high, stubborn Chavalo,” wrote Galeano.
Justino Jarquín joins the list of former prisoners and exiles who died longing for Nicaragua’s freedom, still holding on to the dream of returning home.
First published by 100% Noticias in Spanish and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.