Two French women sentenced to eight years in prison in Nicaragua











Photo credit © Reuters


MANAGUA (Reuters) – Two French nationals, the wife and daughter of an exiled opponent, were sentenced to eight years in prison by a Nicaraguan court on Thursday, a human rights organization said.

The wife and daughter of exiled opposition leader Javier Alvarez, Jeannine Horvilleur and Ana Alvarez, were arrested last September and charged with conspiracy and undermining the integrity of the nation.

“We reject the actions of the regime and the justice system,” the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights wrote in a statement.

“We demand their immediate release because they are innocent,” he added.

The Nicaraguan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

France said “regret(er) the opacity maintained around this trial” and expressed its concern about the conditions of imprisonment and the state of health of the two condemned.

“We regret that despite several requests to the Nicaraguan authorities, our ambassador was not granted access to the trial, just as we regret the opacity maintained around this trial, the hearings having all been held behind closed doors,” said the spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry.

“We also remain very concerned about the conditions of imprisonment and the state of health of our compatriots, especially since despite our repeated requests, our embassy there has still not been able to access them”, she added.

Javier Alvarez, who is in Costa Rica, told Reuters the Nicaraguan government was targeting his relatives in order to exact revenge against him.

(Ismael Lopez report; French version Camille Raynaud and Bertrand Boucey, edited by Blandine Hénault)










click here for restrictions
©2023 Reuters



Source link -87