In November, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega had been re-elected for a fourth five-year term. In reality, Ortega won because in the months leading up to the voting, he put all his opponents in jail or house arrest for treason. Many other potential opponents were jailed since they were accused of being traitors.

The national committee and the U.S. deemed the election a total “sham,” and they had hoped when it was over the political prisoners would be released. This wasn’t the case though, as most of them are locked up in the famous El Chipote prison in Managua.

Berta Valle, wife of imprisoned presidential candidate Félix Maradiaga, said, “Conditions there are just horrible.” Valle is a former news anchor in Nicaragua and moved to Miami with their 8-year-old daughter in fear Ortega’s regime might take her too.

Maradiaga’s sister is the only person allowed to see him for a few times, and she says he had lost about 50 pounds. Maradiaga already had high blood pressure before and if anything happens little to no medical service would be given to him. His sister also said that he had to sit in silence the whole time, and the prisoners have no lights in their cells.

After the November 7 election, Ortega suggested he would send some political prisoners into exile. Ortega had also said, “They are no longer Nicaraguans!” to his supporters not long after the election. The U.S. and Nicaragua’s Roman Catholic Church and Bishop are hoping to convince Ortega to release all of the political prisoners by this summer.