Two women with dual French and Nicaraguan nationality will be tried for allegedly conspiring to undermine national integrity and spreading false news, an official source said Monday, October 3.
Both were taken into custody.
At the request of the prosecution, Judge Rolando Sanarrusia admitted the charges against Jeannine Horvilleur Cuadra, 63, and her daughter Ana Alvarez Horvilleur, 43, according to a statement from the Managua court.
Jeannine Horvilleur is the wife of opposition leader Javier Alvarez who went into exile in Costa Rica.
Alvarez's wife and daughter and son-in-law have been charged along with 10 other Nicaraguan opponents, some for undermining national integrity, others for publishing false news and others for both counts .
The Quai d'Orsay is monitoring the situation
Among the defendants is also Javier Alvarez, against whom the judge has issued an arrest warrant.
The exiled opposition leader said last September from Costa Rica that he could not return to Nicaragua because his
“life is in danger”
.
The French Foreign Ministry said in September that it was closely monitoring the situation of the two French nationals and was in contact with the Nicaraguan authorities.
Preliminary hearings to set a trial date are scheduled for October 13, 18 and 21.
More than 200 opponents are imprisoned in Nicaragua, a country facing a political crisis since anti-government protests in 2018.