Steven Moisés Mendoza

Steven Moisés Mendoza, the political prisoner who met his newborn daughter in the Penitentiary System

Steven Moisés Mendoza, 20 years old, is originally from Masaya and has actively participated in the social protests since April 2018.

As a result of the siege and persecution by police and parapolice, Steven had to go into exile abroad. Even when the sociopolitical conditions did not exist to guarantee a safe return, the feeling that he would soon be a father motivated him to return.

On March 6, 2020, he was arbitrarily detained by members of the Nicaraguan Army at the Peñas Blancas border and, later, he was transferred to the Judicial Assistance Directorate in Managua.

For having participated in the protests of April 2018 and returned from exile, Steven was accused by the Public Ministry of the crime of illegal transportation of narcotics, psychotropics and other controlled substances and was unjustly sentenced by Judge María del Carmen Avilés to the sentence of 15 years in prison.

He is serving the unjust sentence that was imposed on him in the Jorge Navarro Penitentiary System known as “La Modelo”.

Steven met his little daughter in the prison system. Relatives have denounced that during the visits the prison authorities keep the food and personal hygiene parcels for themselves.

On January 13, 2022, Steven was visited by his relatives, however, when the visit was about to end, the Penitentiary System authorities tried to force them to sign a document where they had to record that Steven was in good condition and that he was not beaten, but they refused to sign.

His family also denounced that on July 12, 2022, in the afternoon, the prison authorities beat him in the face and stomach, after a search in gallery 7, and transferred him to another area within the prison system where they caused a bloody nose, kicked him and left him naked until late at night. Steven requested a blanket, but it was not provided.

The next day he was transferred to gallery 6, wearing only underwear. His family has also denounced that he has been beaten approximately 6 times.

Steven has presented symptoms associated with Covid-19, without being given proper medical care. Taking into account the situation of serious risk in which Steven finds himself, on November 2, 2020, the IACHR granted precautionary measures in favor of him along with 40 other political prisoners.

The IACHR requested that the necessary measures be adopted to guarantee the right to life, personal integrity, and health, that the necessary measures be adopted so that he can access special health assessments to determine and ensure that the necessary medical attention is received and that the possibility of granting alternative measures to the deprivation of liberty will be evaluated.

Freedom for Steven Moises Mendoza!

We demand from the Ortega regime: Free Nicas Now!