What started as a bad experience in my life turned into blessings, thanks to Divine Providence. I have been living for four months now in the United States, the country that welcomed me after I was expelled from my homeland, Nicaragua, after being jailed for two months.
On one of those not-so-normal days, my wife got up very early in the morning on Feb. 9 to start her workday, with the pain of knowing that I was still imprisoned. But that changed when rumors invaded the social networks, stating a group of political prisoners was being released.
Hazzel Mariela Pérez Blandón, my wife, together with my two daughters, Wendy Mariela, 17, and Jessel Gabriela, 12, carried much pain and suffering from our family separation after my unjust kidnapping.
But that Feb. 9 was the beginning of a new life. All doubt was ended and, indeed, 222 so-called political prisoners were released, including myself.
I am Wilberto Artola Mejia. I am a 44-year-old Nicaraguan journalist. I worked for 24 years in the Diocese of Matagalpa, a city located in the north end of the country.
Flight to Freedom
It was the early morning of Feb. 9. We arrived in a bus at the Managua airport, then boarded
a U.S. State Department plane.
“Welcome to the flight of freedom!” said the pilot of the plane. Amid applause, shouts and tears, we were leaving our country, our family and our whole life as Nicaraguans. It was then I understood that I was being expelled from my homeland, and I was about to start a new life.
My Arrest
My experience began at dusk on Dec. 11, 2022, when I was summoned to the police station in Matagalpa. I showed up imme-diately and was detained by police officers, who arrested me and transferred me, along with the director of media for the Diocese of Matagalpa, Manuel Obando, to the Directorate of Judicial Assistance of Managua, a federal prison known as El Chipote.
We were bunched together, with our hands tied behind our heads. We rode in the back of a pickup truck on a journey for more than three hours until we arrived at the prison, where I remained for two months.
Life in prison
I had been unjustly separated from my family; my daughters and wife, my parents and siblings all suffered because of my impris-onment. That was the greatest pain of that bad experience.
The first 24 hours of my imprisonment, I was in a small cell, about three feet by three feet, where I could only remain seated, while interrogations were carried out.
Then I was transferred to a bigger cell, where I was with people who encouraged me to cope with this bitter situation.
Two days later, I was transferred to a so-called punishment cell. It was a small, isolated space, about four feet by six feet. There were only two beds, one on top of the other, made of concrete with a mattress, and a space for a toilet without any kind of privacy.
The place was completely enclosed. There were bars on the ceiling and from beyond them a very bright light that constantly shone, which prevented us from knowing if it was day or night. There was only a small opening in the main door through which food was passed to us. Until my release, I remained in that cell with another prisoner.
The days passed as if in slow motion. Prayer and trust in God allowed us to face the difficulties and overcome the psychological torture we experienced in that place.
Angels on the Road
On Wednesday, Feb. 8, after completing the normal prison routine, we were about to go to sleep but were interrupted. We were ordered to take off our blue prison uniforms and put on the clothes we wore for family visits.
We were taken out of the cell, gathered together in several buses and were taken to the airport for our exile. When we arrived in the U.S., many people helped us, opened the doors of their homes and oriented us to start our life in this country, extending solidarity.
The Diocese of Gaylord opened its doors to four former prisoners — Father José Luis Diaz, Manuel Obando, Sergio Cárdenas and me – all from Matagalpa, a sister diocese to Gaylord. That is how we decided to come to northern Michigan, where we currently reside.
Another Great Miracle: The Reunion with My Family
Although much kindness was extended, something was still missing. The pain of the family separation remained.
Thanks to the mercy of God, who was present through Father Wayne Dziekan and Bishop Jeffrey Walsh, the necessary steps were taken to reunite my wife and my two daughters with me in April 2023, after that unjust separation.
I am in the process of completing the necessary immigration documents and looking for a job, while my family and I adapt to a new life.
I thank my God every time I remember you (Philippians 1:3)
I thank everyone who has helped us, those who have prayed for us and Bishop Walsh and Father Wayne, who have become great friends.
I would like to extend my thanks to those who have given us their time, their hospitality and shared what they have with me and my family.
I’m also profoundly thankful to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to St. Joseph for interceding for my release, reuniting me with my family and allowing us to begin a new life in this country.
Like the psalmist, I can only say: “How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done me?” (Ps 115)
