Youngest Nicaraguan Political Prisoner “Guilty”

WhatsApp conversations with her mother, among the evidence presented by the Prosecutor’s Office against Samantha Padilla Jirón.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested eight years in prison for Padilla Jirón, of which four correspond to the fabricated crimes of undermining (national sovereignty) and four for cybercrime.

By La Prensa

HAVANA TIMES – Political prisoner Samantha Padilla Jirón, 22, was found guilty of the alleged crimes of “undermining national integrity” and for having violated the Cybercrime Law, confirmed to La Prensa the mother of the young student, Carolina Jirón, who rejected the decision handed down by Ortega’s judge Melvin Leopoldo Vargas, of the Seventh Criminal Trial District Court.

The student of political sciences and international relations completed this Thursday 115 days under arrest in the cells of the women’s prison known as La Esperanza, after being detained on November 8, 2021, a day after the election fraud that designated Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo as reelected to the presidency of the country.

The mother of the opponent, who was present at the trial, told La Prensa that the Prosecutor’s Office requested eight years in prison for Padilla Jirón, four of which four correspond to the crime of undermining (national sovereignty) and four for cybercrime. The trial began at 8:30 in the morning and ended at about 4:30 in the afternoon.

According to the mother of the prisoner of conscience, the judge did not inform when the reading of the sentence against Padilla is scheduled for. “The judge only said that he is going to notify the lawyer of the date.”

WhatsApp conversations among the evidence

According to Samantha’s mother, the Nicaraguan Prosecutor’s Office presented as evidence the WhatApp conversations that they extracted from her phone, “including messages she had with me” and two videos where she gives interviews about the political and health situation that the country is going through.

“They presented two videos where she gave interviews to the Latin American Youth Network of Bolivia, where they asked her to talk about the pandemic and human rights, and about a participation she had in a program called Voz Democrata. In addition to the WhatsApp conversations, including from me, and from her friends,” said Carolina Jiron.

At 22, Padilla is the youngest political prisoner of the Ortega regime. She was charged by the Prosecutor’s Office a few days after her arrest where “Nicaraguan society and the State of Nicaragua” are the victims of her alleged crimes.

She pleaded not guilty

After the guilty verdict issued by the court, the young student, who was a member of the Blue and White National Unity (UNAB), declared her innocence. “She let the judge know that she already knew very well that he had the guilty verdict before the trial began,” her mother said.

Although she has been locked up in La Esperanza Women’s Prison for 115 days, Padilla is physically well and “morally she is very strong. For God nothing is impossible, and our best judge is God and in Him we place our faith, our hope and we know that He will do justice,” concluded the mother of the young political prisoner.

Nota del editor: El lunes 7 de marzo fue confirmado la sentencia de 8 años de cárcel para la jóven Samantha. “Ni a la abogada ni a la familia le notificaron que se realizaría la audiencia (celebrada el lunes), por eso ella estuvo sola en la lectura de la sentencia”, explicó la madre.

Read more from Nicaragua here on Havana Times