Ortega Police Arrest Opposition Lawyer Jose Pallais

Under the orders of Daniel Ortega the Nicaraguan Police arrested the constitutional lawyer Jose Pallais, a member of the National Coalition, at noon on Wednesday. The Police continue with the persecution, harassment, and arrest of opposition leaders in Nicaragua. The arrest occurred after hours of police siege that, in addition, ended with the raid on the opponent’s home located in the city of Leon, in the west of the country.

The officers stormed into Pallais’ home minutes after the news of the imposition of sanctions by the United States Department of the Treasury on four Ortega officials became known and a day after opposition presidential candidates Juan Sebastian Chamorro, Felix Maradiaga, and opposition leaders Jose Adan Aguerri and Violeta Granera were arrested.  Also arrested in the previous days were candidates Cristiana Chamorro and Arturo Cruz.

The Police justified the arrest by claiming that Pallais “was under investigation,” in accordance with article 1 of Law No. 1055 Law in Defense of the Rights of the People to Independence, Sovereignty, and Self-Determination for Peace, for “carrying out acts that undermine independence, sovereignty and self-determination; incite foreign interference in internal affairs; request military interventions; organize with financing from foreign power to carry out acts of terrorism and destabilization; propose and manage economic, commercial and operational blockades against the country and its institutions; demand, exalt and applaud the imposition of sanctions against the State of Nicaragua and its citizens; and harm the supreme interests of the nation.” These are the same motives that the Police used to justify other arrests in the last hours.

When confirming the arrest, the Police released photos of Dr. Pallais with Leon’s police chief, Fidel Dominguez.

Hours before being arrested, the lawyer reported that a group of paramilitaries had surrounded his home since Tuesday night, when the arrest of Juan Sebastian Chamorro, Aguerri and Granera occurred, and on several occasions threatened to enter the house.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times