Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco
Detained Since: July 3, 2018.
Charges: Robbery with intimidation of persons, illegal possession of firearms or ammunition.
Sentence: None
Biography: Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco took part in the April 2018 civic protests in Managua, along with many young Nicaraguans. In addition to participating in marches, Valle Tinoco would openly express his ideals and rejection of the government, which drew surveillance from the neighborhood Citizen Power Council "Consejo de Poder Ciudadano" (CPC). On July 3, 2018 at 8:30am, a member of the CPC from his neighborhood arrived to verify that Luis was in his house. At 11am, Luis was detained on his way to visit his ailing mother, in the hospital with a terminal form of cancer. His mother passed away when Luis Carlos was still arbitrarily detained, and he was not allowed to attend her funeral. At the time of his detention, police authorities did not present an order of detention and entry during the expeditious judicial process that occurred on July 6, 2018, three days after his detention.
Since March 6, 2020, it has been requested that Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco's health status be assessed by a medical care center; however, this assessment has not been adequately carried out. He allegedly has had symptoms of fever, body aches and a sore throat. Despite having been taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine, Luis Carlos' application to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights indicated that no physical examination nor auscultation were performed to verify his health status. Luis Carlos' sister visited him on June 10, 2020 and reported that the fever episodes had decreased, but he continues to have respiratory problems. His detention conditions include overcrowding and serious restrictions on access to water. IACHR has reported that Luis Carlos shares a cell with 14 other persons where he only has access to water once a day to store water in a container to cover all his daily needs, including personal hygiene and consumption.
Advocate: Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA)
Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco has been RELEASED.
Updates:
- Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA) highlighted the case of Luis Carlos in his opening remarks for a TLHRC hearing on Nicaragua (December 15, 2022).
- On February 9, 2023, the government of Nicaragua released 222 political prisoners to the United States, including Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco. Karla Vanessa Escobar Maldonado and Yader Antonio Polanco Cisneros were also among those released (February 9, 2023, The New York Times).
- On March 22, 2023, Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA) delivered a speech on the House floor recognizing the release of Luis Carlos Valle Tinoco, Karla Vanessa Escobar Maldonado, and Yader Antonio Polanco Cisneros, as well as the challenges they will face after being stripped of their nationality and deported to the United States (March 22, 2023, Congressman James P. McGovern (@RepMcGovern)).