{"id":172180,"date":"2025-08-08T10:04:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T16:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/sin-categoria\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T08:37:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T14:37:24","slug":"indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Indigenous political prisoners in Nicaragua suffer constant discrimination in Nicaragua\u2019s La Modelo and La Esperanza prisons \u2014both in the municipality of Tipitapa. Prisoners complain that authorities and guards call them \u2018witches,\u2019 and label their drinks and natural medicines \u201cpotions,\u201d They are also prohibited from speaking their native languages, according to a study presented on August 8, 2025. These actions, the report warns, constitute a situation that \u201ccan be described as symbolic ethnocide or extermination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/reporte-ciudadano\/demandan-liberacion-de-ocho-indigenas-presos-politicos-en-nicaragua\/\">The criminalization of Nicaraguan indigenous leaders <\/a>\u201ccannot be understood as a sum of individual cases, but rather as part of an unacknowledged policy that combines structural racism, territorial dispossession, and the imposition of a model of assimilation,\u201d concluded researchers from the Association for Legal Defense, Registration, and Memory for Nicaragua (Aududrnic) and the Center for Legal Assistance to Indigenous Peoples (CALPI).<\/p>\n\n<p>The study identified 12 Mayangna and Miskitu indigenous people who were captured in \u201cexcessively violent\u201d police operations. In addition, <a href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/opinion\/brooklyn-rivera-continua-en-condicion-de-desaparicion-forzada\/\">they have been victims of forced disappearances<\/a>, racist mistreatment, bogus trials, and transfers to prisons located hundreds of kilometers from their territories. In addition, the prison authorities prohibit them from using their native languages and traditional cultural expressions.  <\/p>\n\n<p>The twelve indigenous political prisoners include:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brooklyn Rivera, former National Assembly deputy, detained September 29, 2023<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nancy Elizabeth Henriquez, former alternate deputy, arrested October 1, 2023 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ignacio Celso Lino, community leader and land defender, detained August 28, 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arguello Celso Lino, communal judge, detained August 28, 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Donald Andres Bruno Arcangel, forest ranger, arrested September 4, 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dionisio Robins Zacarias, forest ranger arrested September 4, 2021<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The mistreatment and discriminatory actions directed at the indigenous leaders being held as political prisoners deliver \u201ca symbolic message of subordination and colonial domination,\u201d the investigation emphasized. <\/p>\n\n<p>These actions not only affect the Indigenous people who are prisoners, but also \u201cerode community cohesion, fracture cultural ties, and threaten the spiritual continuity of their peoples, constructing a scenario that can be classified as symbolic ethnocide or extermination.<sup>\u201d<\/sup><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-que-representan-los-indigenas-presos-politicos\">What do the indigenous political prisoners represent?<\/h2>\n\n<p>The indigenous people who have been imprisoned \u201care people who represent the struggle to defend their ancestral way of life,\u201d warned Claudia Pineda, director of the Legal Defense Unit. \u201cIn criminalizing the land defenders, criminalizing the defenders of the culture, the aim is to destroy their (communal) way of life and their culture. That is why it is considered ethnocide.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<p>Imprisoning these people prevents \u201cthe defense of that ancestral way of life; prevents indigenous peoples from enjoying their rights, using their traditional medicine, speaking their language, preserving their relationship with the land,\u201d explained Pineda. It\u2019s not only a matter of 12 indigenous people imprisoned for political reasons, but everything their imprisonment implies for the communities. <\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cAmong those detained are forest rangers, whose job is precisely to defend the communities\u2019 relationship with the land. What does their imprisonment mean for the other forest rangers? It means that other indigenous leaders will stop doing that job, for fear of being imprisoned. That\u2019s what the Ortega-Murillo regime intends,\u201d she declared. <\/p>\n\n<p>The Legal Defense Unit director added that the regime \u201cseeks to destroy the cultural identity of indigenous communities through imprisonment, torture, and forced assimilation, which consists of denying their own language, their own forms of health care, and their own education in order to assume a non-indigenous identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-los-acusan-de-practicar-hechizos\">Accused of \u201cwitchcraft\u201d<\/h2>\n\n<p>The investigation accused the National Penitentiary System of operating under \u201ca punitive Western, hegemonic logic that systematically obscures and dismantles ancestral values, knowledge, and practices.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<p>This prison model, which is alien to the indigenous worldview, imposes \u201ca regime of forced assimilation that is incompatible with the principle of equality and non-discrimination and, in general, with international human rights law.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<p>The report highlight that, in La Modelo prison, prison authorities have disparagingly labeled indigenous inmates as \u201csorcerers\u201d for attempting to preserve cultural practices through the consumption of traditional foods such as banana <em>wabul<\/em> and <em>bu\u00f1ia<\/em> drink, as well as the use of natural medicines such as basil, flor de san diego, or culantro, sometimes stigmatized as \u201cpotions.\u201d These items, essential for cultural and spiritual survival, are frequently confiscated.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Another form of discrimination against indigenous political prisoners is the restriction on communicating in their native language, even during family visits, on the grounds of \u201csecurity\u201d or \u201cdisciplinary control.\u201d This practice, they say, has a devastating impact, because it violates not only the right to communicate freely and maintain emotional ties with their families, but also the right to linguistic and cultural identity, which is especially protected in contexts of confinement. <\/p>\n\n<p>Preventing prisoners from speaking their language with their loved ones, \u201ctransmits a symbolic message that denies their humanity or identity, which can constitute a form of cultural and psychological torture,\u201d the document explains. <\/p>\n\n<p>In the case of older people or those with limited command of Spanish, denying them the use of their own language amounts to \u201cforced isolation and the loss of their only meaningful form of expression.\u201d Furthermore, in collective terms these practices \u201cseek to erode the intergenerational transmission of the language, weakening one of the fundamental pillars of the cultural resistance of indigenous peoples.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<p>Such discriminatory acts in the Nicaraguan penitentiary system impact indigenous people in a \u201cparticularly serious and disproportionate\u201d manner, because they represent \u201cnot only physical aggression, but also a structural attack on their identity, spirituality, and traditional way of life. It\u2019s not just the lack of basic services\u2014which are serious violations in themselves\u2014but a form of ongoing cultural violence that disregards their worldview and breaks their essential links with the community and the territory,\u201d the study emphasizes.<em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-torturas-esencialmente-racistas\">Essentially racist torture<\/h2>\n\n<p>The investigation confirms that <a href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/nacion\/indigenas-mayangna-sometidos-a-un-regimen-de-tortura\/\">indigenous political prisoners have suffered torture<\/a> such as beatings with fists, AK-47s, or batons; simulated drowning by submerging their heads in a bucket of water or a river; electrocution; prolonged chaining of hands and feet; prolonged isolation; threats on their lives; as well as lack of drinking water, adequate food, adequate medical care, and sexual assault.<\/p>\n\n<p>These forms of torture, the investigation warns, have not only an individual facet, but also a cultural and spiritual dimension. For example, the report points out, by beating someone for speaking an indigenous language, the message is that the culture, identity and history of the indigenous people is something forbidden or inferior. \u201cIt\u2019s an attempt at symbolic annihilation, where the intent is to eradicate the native language as the core of resistance and world vision. It\u2019s an act of racism,\u201d the final document maintains.   <\/p>\n\n<p>Similarly, the use of a river in their own territory for a simulated drowning has \u201ca brutal symbolic dimension,\u201d the investigation states. With that act, the regime\u2019s authorities have transformed a sacred ancestral place into an instrument of torture, in an inversion of its cultural significance. \u201cIt\u2019s an act of violent territorial colonization, which seeks to fracture the community\u2019s spiritual relationship to nature,\u201d the authors of the report emphasize.  <em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Along these same lines, the document notes, prolonged periods in chains during public presentations not only causes physical and psychological suffering, but also reinforces the image of the indigenous leaders as dangerous criminals, thus stripping them of dignity and social worth. It all becomes a message directed at the community: \u201cThis is what can happen to you if you resist.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n<p>The political imprisonment has been devastating for the indigenous people as a whole, since it has disarticulated their leadership, silenced their land and environmental defenders, and instilled terror in the communities. This in turn has led to the weakened defense of their territories, and the advance of the cultural destruction through internal colonization.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-una-forma-de-violencia-cultural\">A form of \u201ccultural violence\u201d<\/h2>\n\n<p>The study emphasizes that the arrests of the indigenous leaders were carried out with disproportionate violence. In some cases, the detentions involved around 60 state agents. This type of act, the study leaders affirm, generates terror, paralyzes the community organization, and transmits a message criminalizing the indigenous identity.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Further, confining the indigenous leaders in prisons nearly 200 miles from their communities implies a direct violation of their individual rights, especially their right to psychological integrity, due to the suffering, stress, and loss of identity this additional punishment generates. <\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cSeclusion hundreds of miles from their ancestral territories isn\u2019t a simple penal measure, but a contemporary form of forced banishment, a practice historically utilized in order to subject and uproot the members of the original peoples,\u201d the report underlines.<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cThis policy,\u201d it continues, \u201cis inserted within a colonial logic, since it breaks the vital relationship that unites indigenous peoples to their land and communities, as the basis of their collective identity. In other words, it\u2019s also a form of cultural violence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>In other matters, the report indicates that the political trials of the imprisoned indigenous leaders took place without penal guarantees, a situation that, in addition to harming them, delegitimized the indigenous struggle, eroded their leadership, and perpetuated the historic exclusion of the original peoples, impeding their full exercise of self-determination, access to intercultural justice and comprehensive reparation. <\/p>\n\n<p>The Nicaraguan judicial system, \u201chas become one more mechanism for internal legal colonization,\u201d the document reads. \u201cNone of the indigenous people charged were given interpreters, despite the Constitutional guarantees, thus affecting their capacity for an adequate defense,\u201d the report states. <\/p>\n\n<p>Also, all of the indigenous prisoners were removed from their normal court and judge, to be processed and imprisoned nearly 200 miles from their homes and their territory, a situation that not only impacted their ability to defend themselves, but also \u201cconstituted in itself an additional punishment due to the suffering entailed in being kept distant from their family, community and culture,\u201d the document concludes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indigenous political prisoners in Nicaragua suffer constant discrimination in Nicaragua\u2019s La Modelo and La Esperanza prisons \u2014both in the municipality of Tipitapa. Prisoners complain that authorities and guards call them \u2018witches,\u2019 and label their drinks and natural medicines \u201cpotions,\u201d They are also prohibited from speaking their native languages, according to a study presented on August [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":172015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15445],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Indigenous political prisoners suffer discrimination and torture of a racist nature<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Twelve indigenous leaders detained in Nicaragua\u2019s \u201cLa Modelo\u201d men\u2019s prison and the \u201cLa Esperanza\u201d women\u2019s prison are suffering discriminatory and racist mistreatment, according to a recent report\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Twelve indigenous leaders detained in Nicaragua\u2019s \u201cLa Modelo\u201d men\u2019s prison and the \u201cLa Esperanza\u201d women\u2019s prison are suffering discriminatory and racist mistreatment, according to a recent report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Confidencial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/confidencial.com.ni\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-08T16:04:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T14:37:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"735\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@confidencial_ni\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@confidencial_ni\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/64733b11255c0e9d6b4e93e81a984809\"},\"headline\":\"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-08T16:04:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T14:37:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1594,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"English\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/\",\"name\":\"Indigenous political prisoners suffer discrimination and torture of a racist nature\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-08T16:04:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T14:37:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Twelve indigenous leaders detained in Nicaragua\u2019s \u201cLa Modelo\u201d men\u2019s prison and the \u201cLa Esperanza\u201d women\u2019s prison are suffering discriminatory and racist mistreatment, according to a recent report\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":735,\"caption\":\"Ind\u00edgenas mayangnas presentados junto a otras bandas delincuenciales, a finales de 2021. \\\/\\\/ Foto | Tomada de El 19 Digital\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/english\\\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Portada\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Confidencial Nicaragua\",\"description\":\"Noticias de Nicaragua, informaci\u00f3n, an\u00e1lisis, reportajes, investigaciones, perfiles y entrevistas. Somos Confidencial. Hacemos periodismo independiente.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Confidencial\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/Confidencial_696x696.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/Confidencial_696x696.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Confidencial\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/confidencial.com.ni\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/confidencial_ni\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/ConfidencialNica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/confidencial_ni\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/confidencial-nicaragua\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/open.spotify.com\\\/show\\\/1rNymjqQuqP1CTGqHKdQ24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bsky.app\\\/profile\\\/confidencialni.bsky.social\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.threads.com\\\/@confidencial_ni\"],\"description\":\"En Confidencial hacemos periodismo de investigaci\u00f3n y an\u00e1lisis independiente para Nicaragua y su di\u00e1spora en el mundo. Fundado en 1996\",\"email\":\"info@confidencial.digital\",\"foundingDate\":\"1996-06-01\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/64733b11255c0e9d6b4e93e81a984809\",\"name\":\"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/redaccion-confidencial_avatar-96x96.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/redaccion-confidencial_avatar-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/redaccion-confidencial_avatar-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial\"},\"description\":\"Confidencial es un diario digital nicarag\u00fcense, de formato multimedia, fundado por Carlos F. Chamorro en junio de 1996. Inici\u00f3 como un semanario impreso y hoy es un medio de referencia regional con informaci\u00f3n, an\u00e1lisis, entrevistas, perfiles, reportajes e investigaciones sobre Nicaragua, informando desde el exilio por la persecuci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica de la dictadura de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/confidencial_ni\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/confidencial.digital\\\/en\\\/author\\\/confidencial-digital\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Indigenous political prisoners suffer discrimination and torture of a racist nature","description":"Twelve indigenous leaders detained in Nicaragua\u2019s \u201cLa Modelo\u201d men\u2019s prison and the \u201cLa Esperanza\u201d women\u2019s prison are suffering discriminatory and racist mistreatment, according to a recent report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language","og_description":"Twelve indigenous leaders detained in Nicaragua\u2019s \u201cLa Modelo\u201d men\u2019s prison and the \u201cLa Esperanza\u201d women\u2019s prison are suffering discriminatory and racist mistreatment, according to a recent report","og_url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/","og_site_name":"Confidencial","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/confidencial.com.ni","article_published_time":"2025-08-08T16:04:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-11T14:37:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":735,"url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@confidencial_ni","twitter_site":"@confidencial_ni","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/"},"author":{"name":"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/64733b11255c0e9d6b4e93e81a984809"},"headline":"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language","datePublished":"2025-08-08T16:04:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T14:37:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/"},"wordCount":1594,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg","articleSection":["English"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/","url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/","name":"Indigenous political prisoners suffer discrimination and torture of a racist nature","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-08T16:04:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T14:37:24+00:00","description":"Twelve indigenous leaders detained in Nicaragua\u2019s \u201cLa Modelo\u201d men\u2019s prison and the \u201cLa Esperanza\u201d women\u2019s prison are suffering discriminatory and racist mistreatment, according to a recent report","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Indigenas-presos-politicos.jpg","width":1200,"height":735,"caption":"Ind\u00edgenas mayangnas presentados junto a otras bandas delincuenciales, a finales de 2021. \/\/ Foto | Tomada de El 19 Digital"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/indigenous-political-prisoners-in-nicaragua-branded-as-witches-and-banned-from-speaking-their-language\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Portada","item":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Indigenous Political Prisoners in Nicaragua Branded as \u2018Witches\u2019 and Banned from Speaking Their Language"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/","name":"Confidencial Nicaragua","description":"Noticias de Nicaragua, informaci\u00f3n, an\u00e1lisis, reportajes, investigaciones, perfiles y entrevistas. Somos Confidencial. Hacemos periodismo independiente.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#organization","name":"Confidencial","url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Confidencial_696x696.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Confidencial_696x696.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Confidencial"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/confidencial.com.ni","https:\/\/x.com\/confidencial_ni","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/ConfidencialNica","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/confidencial_ni\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/confidencial-nicaragua\/","https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1rNymjqQuqP1CTGqHKdQ24","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/confidencialni.bsky.social","https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@confidencial_ni"],"description":"En Confidencial hacemos periodismo de investigaci\u00f3n y an\u00e1lisis independiente para Nicaragua y su di\u00e1spora en el mundo. Fundado en 1996","email":"info@confidencial.digital","foundingDate":"1996-06-01"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/64733b11255c0e9d6b4e93e81a984809","name":"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/redaccion-confidencial_avatar-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/redaccion-confidencial_avatar-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/redaccion-confidencial_avatar-96x96.png","caption":"Redacci\u00f3n Confidencial"},"description":"Confidencial es un diario digital nicarag\u00fcense, de formato multimedia, fundado por Carlos F. Chamorro en junio de 1996. Inici\u00f3 como un semanario impreso y hoy es un medio de referencia regional con informaci\u00f3n, an\u00e1lisis, entrevistas, perfiles, reportajes e investigaciones sobre Nicaragua, informando desde el exilio por la persecuci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica de la dictadura de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/confidencial_ni"],"url":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/author\/confidencial-digital\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172180"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172181,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172180\/revisions\/172181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}