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According to Álvaro Leiva Sánchez, president of the Nicaraguan Association for the Defense of Human Rights, the judicial situation of Bishop Álvarez would not be exempt from abuses, a situation that demonstrates once again the strong repression of the government of Daniel Ortega against all those who oppose his regimen.
The Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez, a critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s regime, was detained by the police in the latest episode of the confrontation between the Catholic Church and the government. The police broke into the curia of that city in the north of the country, where Álvarez had been besieged for two weeks, and transferred him to Managua.
The arrest of the religious according to testimonies collected by local media was violent. At first, the police forces did not specify the place of detention, which worried the entire international community for the defense of human rights. From exile, Álvaro Leiva Sánchez, president of the Nicaraguan Association for the Defense of Human Rights, told RFI that the bishop was detained at his parents’ home, without first noting that this detention is considered a “kidnapping.” police”.
“The rest of the priests who were kidnapped are in the preventive prisons of Chipote, under the possibility of torture, threat and permanent interrogations,” announced the specialist, who since this police threat began, has closely followed the development of this case.
The police stated that they made the decision to transfer Álvarez from the curia to Managua because he persisted in his “destabilizing and provocative” activities. Given this fact, various religious archdioceses in Latin America expressed their solidarity with the bishop and asked the Nicaraguan authorities to consciously review this case.
What awaits the bishop?
Given the strong judicial repression faced by those opposed to the government of Daniel Ortega, the bishop’s situation does not bode well. According to Leiva Sánchez, Bishop Alvares would be subject to two possible scenarios: “expulsion from Nicaragua or simply facing an illegal process.” The human rights specialist added that the government will seek arguments to disqualify him and initiate a judicial process that would have no legal basis.
“With this arrest, Ortega continues to demonstrate hostility toward the Catholic Church, human rights, and the constitutional rights of Nicaraguans. He does not have a political will to improve the rights of the population, such as their religious freedom”.
Álvarez’s capture, preceded by the arrest of three priests, adds to a long 43-year history of disagreements between the Nicaraguan Catholic Church and the Sandinistas led by dictator Daniel Ortega.
The Managua regime has thrown strong qualifiers against the Nicaraguan bishops to the point of calling them “terrorists.” And only because they acted as mediators of a national dialogue in search of a peaceful solution to the crisis that Nicaragua has been experiencing since April 2018.
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