Mother of Lesther Alemán: "My son suffers constant dizziness and is malnourished"
The day that Lesbia Alfaro visited her son, the political prisoner Lesther Alemán, at the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, known as the “new Chipote”, she was left with great concern. The 23-year-old—who has been incarcerated for 104 days—has numb legs, constant dizziness, appears dehydrated, malnourished, and has lost approximately 30 pounds. But her greatest uncertainty is that her son is taking pills without knowing why.
Although Alfaro acknowledges that during the visit, on October 13, he found his son “with a little more spirit” in relation to the previous visit, which occurred on September 1, he is concerned to know that he is being medicated without explanation. "I don't know what treatment they are applying to him," he warns, "they haven't presented me with any medical prescription," he emphasizes.
During the visit, Alemán told his mother that a prison doctor assessed him and told her: “you are going to need a pill called bolaria” and gave no further explanation. However, it is a drug recommended for vertigo, so his mother has been taking them to prison.
Alemán also told Alfaro that in prison “they give him another treatment” for the weakness in his legs, but “I don't know it and he told me he doesn't know its name,” the woman commented.
According to Alfaro, before his son was imprisoned and became a political prisoner of the Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo regime, he was in good health and only experienced a problem with reflux. Now, he estimates, "the confinement, the lack of access to walk, the poor diet and dehydration" have worn him out physically.
Alone, without books, sheets and food
Alemán is one of the political prisoners who remain isolated. A month ago they changed his cell and "now he is alone," says Alfaro. He is interrogated every day, "sometimes (the interrogations) last an hour or 40 minutes, but it is daily," he emphasizes.
Since Alemán was imprisoned, on the night of July 5, the Police have only received “a towel and his underwear” for his relatives, but they do not allow “neither sheets, nor pillows, nor a cover for the mattress No books, nothing like that," says his mother.
On the other hand, Alfaro recalled that in the prison where his son is, they do not receive the food that their relatives bring them and it was not until two weeks ago that they admitted a hydrating drink. This despite the fact that inside the political prisoners are starving.
“What I ask is that, if the Government does not have budget resources (for the inmates' food), then they allow us to pass them our food, drinks and visits frequently, because they may be deprived of liberty, but there is no reason to deprive them of their food and their family”, stressed Alfaro.
Incredible visits
Alemán was one of the last political prisoners to be visited by his relatives on October 13. The visit occurred between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., for which reason the young man told his mother that he saw when they released the political prisoner Miguel Mora and that he spent the whole day wondering if they would finally visit him.
The little visits occurred a month and a half after the regime allowed the first visit to the 37 political prisoners captured in the context of the electoral process in Nicaragua, in a day that lasted from October 11 to 13, with visits of up to two relatives for political prisoner.
About ten visits lasting two hours were carried out daily, which was an hour and a half more than what was provided during the first meetings at the end of August. However, the relatives request that they be allowed to come much more frequently, with the once-a-week visits established by law.
