Hugo Torres, Nicaragua ex-rebel leader Ortega jailed, dies

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Relatives in Nicaragua say a former Sandinista guerrilla leader who once led a raid that helped free then rebel and now President Daniel Ortega from prison has died. Hugo Torres’ death at age 73 came eight months after Ortega’s government arrested him and dozens of other Nicaraguan opposition leaders. Torres was a leading fighter in the 1970s Sandinista revolution who broke with Ortega more than 20 years ago to found the Sandinista Renovation Movement. Torres was one of 46 opposition figures and presidential hopefuls rounded up and jailed by in May and June, to clear the way for Ortega’s almost unopposed re-election Nov. 7.  Torres was the first of those rounded up in the 2021 crackdown to die. It’s unclear if his death was hastened by conditions in prison.