María Esperanza Sánchez
María Esperanza Sánchez: the human rights activist convicted of a crime she did not commit.
María Esperanza Sánchez, 54, a single mother of one daughter and two sons, is originally from Matagalpa. She was one of the first participants in civic activism in Matagalpa since April 2018 to demand justice and democracy. She was a member of the April 19 Movement and later of the April 19 Civic Movement in her city, as well as the Blue and White National Unity (UNAB).
As part of the persecution and death threats from the authorities and parastatal elements, she had to move to a safe house since November 2019, however, she was arbitrarily detained on January 26, 2020 there in Managua.
María Esperanza was accused by the Public Ministry of the crime of internal trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic drugs and other controlled substances, she was subjected to a criminal proceeding in which the guarantees of due process were not respected and she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. and to pay a fine of 31 thousand cordobas.
Since her arrival in the Penitentiary System on February 6, 2020, she has been subjected to repeated torture and cruel and inhuman treatment by the custodians of the system with the aim of forcing her to accept the crimes that she was then accused of.
María Esperanza is serving her unjust sentence in the Comprehensive Women’s Penitentiary Establishment known as “La Esperanza”. The torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment that she has received from her have caused a serious deterioration in her health since the chronic diseases that she suffers from, such as chronic arterial hypertension, bronchial asthma and ischemic heart disease, have worsened.
The prison authorities have denied her access to medications for the treatment of her chronic illnesses, as well as masks for the prevention of Covid 19. On May 12, 2022, María Esperanza’s health situation worsened, she had difficulty walking , asthma crisis, high blood pressure. Although the prison authorities have allowed him to receive medical care, it has not been adequate or specialized.
Taking into account the situation of serious risk in which María Esperanza finds herself, on November 2, 2020, the IACHR granted precautionary measures in her favor along with 40 other political prisoners.
This includes adopting the necessary measures to guarantee the right to life, personal integrity and health, adopting the necessary measures so that he can access special health assessments, to ensure that his detention conditions are compatible with the standards applicable international The State has not complied with the precautionary measures in favor of María Esperanza and her life continues to be at serious risk.
Freedom for María Esperanza Sánchez!
We demand from the Ortega-Murillo regime: Free Nicas Now!
