[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THREE NICARAGUAN PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to place in the Record the names of 
three Nicaraguan political prisoners who were among those released and 
sent to the United States on February 23, 2023.
  Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco, Karla Vanessa Escobar Maldonado, and Yader 
Antonio Polanco Cisneros joined the massive protests in Nicaragua in 
April 2018. All were denied due process, imprisoned in deplorable 
conditions, and refused access to medical care as their health declined 
just because they disagreed with their government.
  They were recognized as prisoners of conscience by the Defending 
Freedoms Project of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and I was 
privileged to serve as their advocate.
  Some Nicaraguan prisoners who arrived here are well-known leaders, 
but many are not. They have been stripped of their nationality, lost 
everything, and have a tough road ahead.
  The Ortega government must be held accountable for its crimes.

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