Student organization denounces kidnapping of two of its members by the Nicaraguan army

The Alianza Universitaria Nicaraguense (AUN- Nicaraguan University Alliance) denounced the kidnapping of two of its members, Mildred Rayo and Miguel Flores, by the Nicaraguan Army.

According to AUN, the young people were travelling to Managua and were detained for a search, at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1, near the Sapoa River, in Cardenas, Rivas. At around 9:30 a.m. they communicated with Flores for the last time, and he assured them that they were being taken to a military facility, without providing further details.

#Comunicado | Ejército sandinista secuestra a dos miembros de nuestra organización, mientras se movilizaban de Rivas a Managua. Hasta este momento, se desconoce su paradero. https://t.co/nBJeTPFTQ4

— AUN (@AUNNicaragua) November 2, 2022

The organization explained that, through Rayo’s cellphone GPS, they were able to determine that they are being held in an Army property, located in Las Colinas, in Managua.

“This incident is a reflection of the dictatorship’s fear of an organized youth convinced of a just and civic struggle. This persecution is not only against our organization, but against all of Nicaragua,” reads in their statement. They also demand information on the whereabouts of their fellow members, respect for their integrity, and their release.

Lesther Aleman and Max Jerez were the first members of this youth organization to be imprisoned by the Ortega regime in the wave of arrests in 2021. They have both remained in the infamous El Chipote prison ever since, together with a score of political prisoners, convicted by the Ortega justice system, to sentences ranging from seven to thirteen years in prison for the fabricated crimes of “conspiracy” and “spreading fake news.”

Almost 24 hours after the arrest of Rayo and Flores, the Army had yet to comment on the case.

AUN is part of the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, which represented the opposition in two of the attempted negotiations held in 2018 and 2019 with Daniel Ortega and his officials. Since 2021, like the rest of the organizations, they have suffered political persecution for opposing the government.

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