MANAGUA (Reuters) – The Nicaraguan Prosecutor’s Office said early Friday that it had moved two prisoners, accused of undermining national integrity, to house arrest due to health concerns.
The moves come after retired Nicaraguan general Hugo Torres, a former revolutionary comrade of President Daniel Ortega later considered a political prisoner by the opposition, died this month in prison.
Three other sick prisoners were previously moved into house arrest from El Chipote prison in Managua.
“The Public Ministry, given the state of health of the people referred to, for humanitarian reasons asked the judicial authority to change the precautionary measure from preventive detention to house arrest,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement released at midnight.
The prisoners moved into house arrest are former diplomats Edgard Parrales, 79, and Mauricio Diaz, 71, who are among 47 people detained last year before the presidential elections, in which Ortega won a fourth consecutive term after jailing political rivals and cracking down on critical media.
The prisoners’ trials began on Feb. 1, and so far 27 people have been convicted, with sentences ranging from eight to 13 years in prison.
The government and the Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Ismael Lopez; writing by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
