Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa reunites with his father as US secures release of Nicaraguan political prisoners

After a grueling 19-month battle to free his father from a Nicaraguan prison, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and his family will soon be reunited with patriarch Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa on American soil.

The elder Aguirre-Sacasa was part of a group of political prisoners who were released from a Nicaraguan prison Thursday morning and arrived in Washington DC.

“It’s a miracle,” an elated Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Deadline. “There’s no other way to describe this crazy story and its ending than the biggest plot twist that none of us saw coming,” he added as he prepared for his trip to the East Coast later tonight to visit his father to meet

As Deadline reported in August 2021, the writer and producer are excited behind shows river valley And Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Desperate for information about his father after the elder Aguirre-Sacasa was arrested on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border. When Francisco and his wife approached the local airport for a flight to Washington DC, he was taken away by the Nicaraguan police and disappeared.

Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa, an outspoken critic of Daniel Ortega’s regime, was later incarcerated in El Chipote prison without his family’s knowledge. He spent months at the notoriously dangerous facility before being placed under house arrest, finally able to take much-needed medication that the prison banned and talk to loved ones. Heartbreaking for the family, after a period at home, he was returned to El Chipote where he remained captive until his surprise flight to freedom this morning.

During the 19-month battle, the Aguirre-Sacasa family interacted with former US Senator and current US Special Advisor to the President Chris Dodd, as well as Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

“Senator Dodd spoke to my sister yesterday and asked, ‘Do you believe in miracles?’ She replied, “At that point, Senator, I had given up on miracles.” Undeterred, Dodd told her that she would soon hear good news. The phone rang around 4:45 or 5:00 this morning, confirming that a plane with political prisoners in Nicaragua was on the way to Washington DC and that our father was also on it. I couldn’t believe it. Tonight my father sleeps in his own bed in DC where I live. It really is a miracle.”

Earlier today, the State Department released a statement on behalf of Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirming that 222 political prisoners wrongfully arrested by the Nicaraguan government have arrived at Dulles Airport and are receiving medical and legal assistance.

“The release by the Government of Nicaragua of these individuals, one of whom is a US citizen, is a constructive step to address human rights violations in the country and opens the door for further dialogue between the United States and Nicaragua on issues of concern. said winking. “Today’s development is the result of concerted US diplomacy and we will continue to support the Nicaraguan people.”

The statement confirms that the political prisoners arrested for “exercising their fundamental freedoms and prolonged unjust imprisonment” have been released to the US. This includes political and business leaders, journalists, civil society representatives and students.

Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa was Nicaragua’s ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2000 and later became the Central American country’s foreign minister.

“I think the United States and Nicaragua have been talking about this for a while, but we were not aware of the mechanisms behind the scenes,” said Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. “My mother, who is very religious, never doubted that I would see my father again. She had that belief and she never wavered, even when things didn’t go the way we hoped.

Feeling like he could finally breathe, he thanked Dodd and Martinez, President Joe Biden and everyone who kept his family in their thoughts and prayers during the ordeal.

“I can’t say thank you enough to all the people who helped make this possible; all who shared my father’s story and that of many political prisoners,” he explained. “It was an eleventh-hour miracle I didn’t dare hope for. We had contact with some of the other prisoners’ families, some of whom were older than my father. We all feel relief. I hope it bodes well for the future, because what happened today was unprecedented.”