They file complaints about the physical deterioration of Nicaraguan political prisoner and student leader Lesther Alemánen

The opposition student leader Lesther Alemán, who rebuked the Nicaraguan dictator, Daniel Ortega, during the beginning of a failed national dialogue three years ago, is in “critical condition” in jail, denounced this Thursday the Nicaraguan University Alliance (AUN), to which he belongs.

“The organized youth of the Nicaraguan University Alliance today launched an SOS alert to the Nicaraguan people and the international community about the deterioration of physical health and the current psychological condition of the youth leader Lesther Alemán, unjustly detained by the Nicaraguan government,” said that group in a public statement.

“The condition of Lesther Alemán is serious and worrying, as a result of intense interrogations, psychological torture, and the almost non-existent communication with his family and lawyers,” they added.

The AUN based its complaint on the account they received from Alemán’s defense attorney, who visited him in the prison known as El Nuevo Chipote, where the Directorate of Judicial Aid of the National Police operates, and where the student leader is being held.

“We demand that their human rights be respected, that urgently involves adequate medical and psychological care and full respect for his life,” continued AUN, for whom” the struggle of Lesther Alemán is that of thousands of Nicaraguans who want to live in a country with democracy”.

Alemán, 23, came to the fore for addressing President Ortega, the leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), in a live televised broadcast, whom he asked for his surrender in the framework of anti-government demonstrations that broke out in April 2018.

36 DETAINED AND ACCUSED

The student leader was accused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for being the alleged perpetrator of the crime of conspiracy to undermine national integrity, in accordance with articles 410 and 412 of the Penal Code, to the detriment of Nicaraguan society and the State of Nicaragua.

The Public Ministry affirmed this Thursday that, “At all times, they have respected the constitutional rights of the accused persons, investigated and interviewed,” and have “ensured the quality and objectivity of the investigation, as well as the accusations, and will continue to contribute to maintaining security and respect for the rules of peaceful coexistence”.

In the framework of the electoral process, Nicaraguan regime authorities have arrested and sent 36 opposition leaders and independent professionals to trial, including seven who announced their intentions to run for the presidency in the November 7 elections, in which Ortega seeks a new reelection.

In the November elections, Ortega, a former Sandinista guerrilla who is about to turn 76 years old and who returned to power in 2007 after coordinating a Government Junta from 1979 to 1984 and presiding over the country for the first time from 1985 to 1990, seeks his fifth term, fourth in a row, and second with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.