ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) issued this statement as our team begins providing support to Nicaraguan political prisoners released and flown to Guatemala.

“Yesterday, the United States government secured the release of 135 political prisoners who were being held by Nicaragua’s authoritarian government and had them flown to Guatemala to begin a process leading to relocation. At the request of the U.S. government, CVT is undertaking a rapid-response initiative to provide these individuals with emergency mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in Guatemala.

“This is the second major group of political prisoners to receive emergency care from CVT. Last year, 222 Nicaraguan prisoners were released to the U.S. and CVT extended care during the first months of their freedom. We know from that work and from numerous other reports that torture and gross human rights violations have been widely documented within Nicaraguan detention centers. Because of the urgent need, we are again moving quickly to provide care to this new group of survivors, who include religious leaders, student activists, human rights defenders and others.

“We’ve sent a team of eight staff members, led by Leora Hudak, CVT migration partnerships program manager. The team is meeting with the survivors in several locations in Guatemala and will coordinate activities, support healing, and continue to assess clinical needs over the coming week.

“Release from prison is only the first step in the journey to freedom. All survivors of torture deserve rehabilitative care and the opportunity to heal. The specialized services that we offer will help these Nicaraguan survivors to take the first steps towards rebuilding their lives. We are proud to be beside them as they do so.” – Dr. Simon Adams, CVT president & CEO

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org