Juan Sebastián Chamorro is a Nicaraguan economist and opposition political leader who was running as a candidate for president ahead of the November 2021 elections. He was arrested in June 2021 as part of President Ortega’s unprecedented crackdown on the democratic opposition, civil society, and the media. For 84 days, he was disappeared and held incommunicado. On February 24, 2022, after a trial replete with due process violations, he was convicted of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity”; a few days later, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. On February 9, 2023, Juan Sebastián was released to the United States with over 200 other Nicaraguan political prisoners.
Media Release on the Breaking Images of Nicaragua’s Political Prisoners
September 2, 2022