Eddy Antonio Castillo Muñóz

Arrested for demanding justice for murdered nephew

Eddy Antonio Castillo Muñoz, 44 years old, is originally from Masaya, Nicaragua. For more than 2 decades, he worked as an carpenter, work that allowed him to sustain his family with Nelly Griselda López García, his life partner, with whom he has three children.

On the 15th of April, 2023, in a middle of the night operation, the Police broke into his home in Masaya and detained Nelly and Eddy, without presenting any warrant for their arrest.

The principal accusation against Eddy was that he was facing justice for the murder of his nephew, Erick Jiménez, which occurred in July 2018 and allegedly he had gunpowder in his home, which authorities interpreted as intent to “destabilize the government.”

Following his arrest, Eddy was taken to Police District III in Managua, where he remained in a state of enforced disappearance for 58 days. During this time he was incommunicado, without access to family visits or his lawyer and he was subjected to constant interrogations at early hours of the morning.

Agents asked him about his presumed role as an a opposition member, utilizing psychological torture tactics such as preventing him from sleeping and showing him photos of his daughters taken by undercover police to make him feel fear and anguish

On June 10, 2023, Eddy was transferred to “La Modelo” prison in Tipitapa, where he is being held in inhumane conditions. During his imprisonment, he has suffered from episodes of fever, diarrhea, and an allergy associated with the poor food he receives in prison.

Despite repeated requests from his family, he has not been allowed to receive medication nor has he had access to adequate medical care. His health situation has worsened, presenting symptoms such as flu and severe headaches, without receiving any treatment.

The judicial process against Eddy has been plagued with irregularities. His family members do not have access to legal defense. The judgment, realized without transparency, resulted in a sentence of six years in prison for “conspiracy to commit undermining of national integrity” and “propagation of fake news.” This sentence reflects the environment of repression that Nicagauans live in, where demanding justice and expressing opinions contrary to the government has become a crime.

Since March 2024, Eddy has had precautionary measures emitted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and in June 2024, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights adopted provisional measures to protect his life and personal integrity.

Freedom for Eddy Antonio Castillo Muñóz! 

We demand the Ortega-Murillo regime: Free Nicas Now!