Five years and nine months in prison, plus the payment of a fine of C$4,679 (Cordobas), was the sentence given Luis Enrique Cuevas Poveda, a man who earned his living selling Nicaraguan flags in the opposition marches of León.
The sentence, issued by Third Criminal Local Judge of Managua, Nalía Úbeda Obando, Cuevas was sentenced to 15 months in prison for each of the three death threats with a weapon, 15 months for obstruction of public services (transportation) and nine months for illegal carrying of weapons.
Defence lawyer Norvin Cruz described as “unfair” the sentence issued by Judge Úbeda.
“This sentence is unjust because a man is being repressed for exercising his right to work, selling blue and white flags to those who participated in the (anti-government) marches,” Cruz said.
The lawyer revealed that during the trial his client told him that before being arrested, last September in León, he had already received threats that he would be arrested if he did not stop selling flags.
Cruz said that the trial was riddled with irregularities, including the fact that Cuevas was arrested on September 10, but the tests for gun shot residue (GSR) were made on the September 9th.
“That means that the police made the chemical expert’s report on the search for GSR the day before arresting him, which is totally illogical,” said the lawyer.
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