The Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners reported in an update released on January 11 that 24 people—confirmed by their relatives—were freed by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on the morning of Saturday, January 10.
The organization noted that six of the 24 released individuals were not on its official list of 62 prisoners of conscience, confirming the existence of an “underreporting” of detentions ordered by the Ortega regime.
With this update, the Mechanism also underscored that more than 40 people included on its list of political prisoners remain hostages of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship. In addition, according to the National Blue and White Monitoring registry, at least 60 people were detained or held between January 3 and 9 after being linked to alleged social media posts supporting the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
It remains unclear how many of those 60 people have been released. LA PRENSA learned that some were freed 48 to 72 hours later, but only after committing to report daily to police stations.
Two Former State Employees Released
Among those released who were not on the Mechanism’s official list, the Group for Reflection of Former Political Prisoners (GREX) identified public sector workers who had been detained for political reasons.
Of the six newly identified former state employees, GREX confirmed—based on photographs circulated by pro-government media—the release of two former Judiciary employees detained since early last year: Dr. Gerald René Areas Lacayo, who previously served as head of Managua’s Second Court for Enforcement and Seizures, and Nadezhna Obando Cerna.
Obando Cerna had been detained since January of last year. She is the niece of retired Colonel and former State Security chief Lenín Cerna and a former assistant to ex-Supreme Court Justice Marvin Aguilar, who served as acting president of the Supreme Court until falling out of favor and being placed under house arrest early last year.
A Family From Jinotepe Released
Among those who were already registered by the Mechanism and were freed on January 10 are evangelical pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas and four family members: Jessica María Palacios Vargas, Olga María Lara Rojas, María José Rojas Arburola, and her husband Pedro José López Calero.
Palacios and his family were detained in July last year amid a crackdown unleashed by the regime in Jinotepe, Carazo. In December, after the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs demanded their release on social media, the dictatorship issued a statement through the Attorney General’s Office claiming that “they are not pastors, they are criminals.”
In that document, authorities labeled Palacios and his relatives as “criminals” accused of violating the Constitution and undermining peace. The same accusations were leveled against Jinotepe residents Armando José Bermúdez Mojica and Mauricio Francisco Alonso Estrada, also released on January 10 after being detained since July.
Activists, Educators, and Entrepreneurs From Jinotepe
Also released after nearly five months in prison were several political prisoners from Jinotepe: Mario José Rodríguez Serrano, 63, a restaurant owner; artist and gallery owner Marvin Antonio Campos Chavarría; and Alder Fabián López Luna, an opposition figure who had returned from exile in Honduras.
Additionally freed were Harold Santiago Miranda, a university researcher and former employee of the now-shuttered Central American University (UCA), and activist Chester Jaromil Cortez, who had been subjected to enforced disappearance since August 15, 2025.
Other Jinotepe residents released include Rafael Enrique Acevedo Guevara, known as “the Teacher,” previously imprisoned between 2018 and 2019, and Óscar Enrique Velázquez Sánchez, known as “El Chino,” a baker who had returned from exile in Costa Rica.
Detainees From Jinotega Released After Enforced Disappearance
From northern Nicaragua, those released include opposition leader Óscar Gadea Tinoco, former mayor of Santa María de Pantasma and member of Citizens for Liberty (CxL), detained since May last year. Also freed were Jinotega residents José Leónidas Rizo and Ambrosio Concepción Rivera, both held under enforced disappearance since May.
Capital Resident Falsely Accused
Among those released is Engel Fernando Gutiérrez Alemán, originally from Masaya, whose case had been listed anonymously. Also freed was Erick Antonio Mercado López, an artisan and cultural promoter from Monimbó detained in August last year.
From Managua, the only release listed by the Mechanism was filmmaker Eddy Danilo Meléndez Lacayo, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease for over a decade. Detained since July 2021, he was later falsely accused of sexual abuse without due process—charges that civil society groups say were fabricated to criminalize him.
More Releases Yet to Be Confirmed
Some of the freed political prisoners told LA PRENSA that at least 30 people appeared to be released during the official handover to families on January 10. The Mechanism said it is monitoring the process and verifying information about additional releases.
“The release of these individuals does not fully meet the State’s obligations while others remain imprisoned for political reasons,” the organization stated, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
Continued Repression Despite Release
Those released confirmed that their freedom is conditional. All must report daily at 7 a.m. to their local police stations, notify authorities in advance if they leave their municipalities, refrain from using social media, and request police authorization to leave the country.
The same measures have reportedly been imposed on some of the 60 people detained earlier this month for alleged pro-Maduro statements. Monitoring groups report that dozens have since been released under similar restrictions.
In November, following the release of eight political prisoners, the Mechanism warned that replacing prison with house arrest or municipal confinement “does not constitute real freedom,” as it keeps individuals under surveillance, restrictions, and ongoing political punishment.
