Photo: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/instagram. inset: getty
Riverdaleshowrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa seeking the safe return of his 76-year-old father, Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa, who has been missing in Nicaragua for more than 10 days and is believed to be detained somewhere in the country.
“My mom’s okay, but we haven’t seen or heard from my dad since that terrible day. We believe he’s in a prison in Managua, but the truth is…we don’t know,” he continued. “What we do know is that my father was arrested because, as a journalist, he has been an outspoken critic of Nicaragua’s current political regime—President Ortega’s dictatorship.”
“My father wants Nicaragua to be a free, democratic country. He’s dedicated his life to the betterment of his homeland and its citizens,” Roberto wrote. “It’s gotten him into trouble before, but never as dire as this. We fear the worst.”
He added that his father, unfortunately, “isn’t the only person this has happened to in Nicaragua.”
“There are more than thirty other political prisoners; and unlawful arrests continue to be made. Men, women, students, and politicians who have spoken against Nicaragua’s dictatorship and its terror tactics. Like the families of the other disappeared, we’re figuring out what we can do, how we can help,” Robert wrote.
Sharing a picture of Francisco with his grandchildren, Roberto said that that the family is currently “hoping and praying for his safe return” as well as “for the release of the other illegally imprisoned persons.”
“We just want him home safe,” he added of his father.
Francisco previously served as Nicaragua’s ambassador to the United States from 1997 until 2000, when he moved back to the Central American country with his wife. Though his children were born and raised in the States, Francisco never became a citizen there.
He also served as Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister from 2000 to 2002.
In aninterview with Deadlinepublished on Friday, Roberto and his sister, Georgiana Aguirre-Sacasa, gave more details about their father’s arrest.
“About 10 days ago, I was flying back to Los Angeles from the East Coast where I was scouting locations forPretty Little Liarswhen I got an emergency call from my sister Georgiana. She told me our father had been arrested or kidnapped, as he and our mom were driving to Costa Rica to board a flight to Washington, D.C., where my father was to have surgery,” Roberto told the outlet.
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According to Georgiana, their father’s passport was taken away at the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
“Around 15-20 minutes after his passport was taken, a statement was released saying our father was under investigation for treason and for being an enemy of the state,” said Georgiana. “He was supposed to return to his house where they’d follow up with him and see how to move forward in a case against him. But they didn’t.”
“We believe he is being kept as a political prisoner with an estimated 30 other people who have been detained similarly in past months in the lead-up to Nicaragua’s election in November,” Roberto said of his father.
“The current administration has been arresting anyone who attempted to run against Ortega or who have been speaking out against him and those who are fighting for a free democratic election. They’ve been disappeared,” Roberto said. “We believe he’s being kept at the infamous prison called El Chipote, where my mom has visited every day bringing food, water, and medicine for our father. She’s been denied each time and the food and medication refused.”
Francisco Aguirre-Sacas.DAVID LA SPINA/Getty
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The U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Pricesaid in a statement on Fridaythat the regime under Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, has “arrested 32 political opponents and pro-democracy actors, including seven presidential candidates, a vice-presidential candidate, student activists, private sector leaders, defense attorneys, and others” just in the last two months.
When reached for comment about Francisco’s case, a spokesperson for the State Department directed PEOPLE to a tweet from its Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, which said that the “Ortega-Murillo regime should immediately free Aguirre Sacasa, who is in delicate health.”
“The regime has imposed a 90-day sentence during its so-called investigation,” the tweet read. “A respected commenter on current affairs, Aguirre Sacasa’s arbitrary detention is a part of the Ortega-Murillo regime’s campaign of terror against independent voices.”
The Aguirre-Sacasa family has set up a petition through theirJustice for Franciscocampaign demanding the release of the prisoners the Ortega-Murillo regime has taken captive.
source: people.com
