The former President of Milintica, Neina Arana, has died after suffering a “cardiac incident” in her jail cell overnight, Milintican officials announced. The former President was 68.
Prison guards and staff performing their normal morning rounds and breakfast delivery discovered Arana had passed away at 7:15 am Milintican time, National Police Commissioner Eraka Manuera reported. “The former President passed away sometime between 2:00 am, when the last overnight cell check was done, and 7:00 am when we began our morning checks. A preliminary investigation has found no foul play, and at this time it is believed that she suffered from a cardiac incident.” Manuera noted that the former President had known heart conditions at the time of her imprisonment. “A full autopsy will naturally be done, but the evidence we have right now points to this being a heart attack of some sort.”
President Matōchmizalo gave his own remarks to the media. “It is always unfortunate when someone passes away, and I do hope that Neina Arana left this world in a manner free of the pain and suffering that she delivered to her own people.” The President refused to state that he would mourn Arana’s death, only repeating that it was “unfortunate”.
The remarks from the President and Commissioner Manuera, among other officials, have done little to eliminate concerns of those still pledging allegiance to the ousted Arana. Angry protests have begun taking place at impromptu ceremonies mourning the former President’s death. These are mainly occurring in areas that had a strong Milintican Communist Party presence before the party was banned, predominantly in smaller cities and the rural countryside. “Our President was strong as a lion. This was no heart attack,” Kārena Tau told DTNS at a protest in the small town of Tāngitoki in northwestern Milintica. “Either the counterrevolutionary false President or his foreign masters did this to her,” Tau said. While refusing to speak President Matōchmizalo’s name, Tau and others at the Tāngitoki memorial insisted that Arana’s death had to be an assassination at his orders. Many of the protesters have demanded an independent autopsy for Arana, saying they do not trust the government.
Milintican officials have described rumors of an assassination, at least by their side, as absurd. “The wheels of justice had already turned for Neina Arana. She was in prison, and was going to be forever. She was no threat. And the idea that we would violate her human rights the same way that her tyrannical regime did is frankly insulting,” Commissioner Manuera said.
One high-ranking Milintican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, reiterated that the government had no role in Arana’s passing. He did, however, aim possible blame at another source. “The Xiomerans warned us at the talks in Yeocheon that if they didn’t think we punished Arana hard enough, they would do it for us. I guess they found us lenient,” the official said. When asked about such rumors, the Xiomeran Ministry of State had a brief response. “We’re not sad that Neina Arana is dead. However, DTNS of all organizations should know there are consequences for libelous and defamatory claims. Before making unsubstantiated and inflammatory accusations against the Empire and the Xiomeran people, the media should carefully watch their words.”
