Attack on Joao Maldonado: At least seven bullets hit Daniel Ortega’s opponent in attack in San Pedro

The Institute of Judicial Investigation (OIJ) reported today that Nicaraguan Joao Maldonado, an opponent of Daniel Ortega’s regime, was shot at least 7 times in the chest and head during an attack in San Pedro de Montes de Oca in San Jose.

Confidential sources close to Maldonado indicate that the 36-year-old is under medical care at the Calderon Guardia Hospital, which has led to a significant police deployment in the area.

According to additional reports from the OIJ, the attack took place shortly before 11 a.m. near the Universidad Latina, where Maldonado and his wife, Nadia Robletto, were stopped by individuals on a motorcycle. Although already injured, he continued to drive a 1993 Hyundai Excel with license plate 392828 until he reached the intersection of Calle de la Amargura, where he managed to park and was treated by an advanced aid unit of the Red Cross and another by a private company. was done.

As for Maldonado’s wife, it is reported that she suffered injuries on at least two occasions, one of them to the head. Further, the judicial police noted that ballistic evidence was found in the vehicle in which the victims were traveling. These were collected by bailiffs, who transported the car to the Forensic Science Complex for further forensic analysis.

Several organizations have expressed their support for the victims, among them the Together for Nicaragua organization, which issued a strong statement condemning the attack on January 10, 2024, against Joao Maldonado and Nadia Robleto, whom they described as leading members of the opposition. fighting

The organization strongly rejected the acts of violence perpetrated by the authoritarian regimes of Ortega and Murillo from April 2018 to date as unacceptable in any context. They also asked the competent authorities of Costa Rica to investigate and punish those physically and intellectually responsible for this and other acts of violence against political opponents of the authoritarian regime.