Former Sandinista hero dies as political prisoner in Nicaragua

Hugo Torres, a retired general and former revolutionary comrade of President Daniel Ortega later considered a political prisoner by the opposition, poses for a picture during an interview at the Sandinista Renovation Movement office, in Managua, Nicaragua June 21, 2017. Picture taken June 21, 2017. Torres died on February 12, 2022, in a Managua prison aged 73. REUTERS/Stringer

MANAGUA (Reuters) -Retired Nicaraguan general Hugo Torres, a former revolutionary comrade of President Daniel Ortega later considered a political prisoner by the opposition, died on Saturday in a Managua prison aged 73, his political party and local media said.

Torres, feted as a hero of the Sandinista Revolution that overthrew the Somoza family dictatorship in 1979, took part in a daring operation in 1974 to free Ortega, who had been imprisoned for seven years for his involvement in the guerrilla movement.