The verdict was handed down by Judge Ulisa Tapia Silva in a court in the capital, Managua. He was sentenced to five years in prison plus five years for spreading false news and a fine of about $1,500 for conspiracy to undermine national integrity, the group said.
CENIDH, where Suazo was a director, condemned the conviction as unfair. It called the hearing a “judicial farce” and claimed that the authorities had repeatedly violated “due process guarantees”.
In Nicaragua, trials of opposition leaders usually take place behind closed doors, with no journalists present. Only Suazo’s defense attorney was present at the hearing, CENIDH said.
Suazo’s defense attorney Maynor Curtis said he would appeal the verdict.
Police arrested Suazo on May 18 this year at his parents’ home in the western city of Masaya, where widespread anti-government protests took place four years ago.
Suazo was jailed for nearly a year in 2018 for taking part in the demonstrations, but was released in 2019 under an amnesty law that pardoned protesters.
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