Comment Federal police raided the home of a Catholic bishop in northern Nicaragua early Friday and arrested one of the most prominent remaining critics of President Daniel Ortega, as the government moved closer to silencing dissent in the Central American country. Authorities placed the bishop, the Rev. Rolando Álvarez, under house arrest at his parents’ home in Managua, the capital. Five priests and two seminarians who were with him at his residence in Matagalpa were locked up in El Chipote, the notorious prison where more than 100 of the president’s opponents have been imprisoned. The government said in a statement that the bishop “persisted in his destabilizing and provocative activities.” He did not specify or say what legal charges the Catholic leader was facing. Two weeks ago, police surrounded his residence, saying he was under investigation for allegedly funding violent anti-government groups, a charge he denies. Government spokeswoman Rosa Murillo – Ortega’s wife and vice president – did not respond to a message seeking comment. Spies, harassment, death threats: Catholic Church in Nicaragua says it is being targeted by the government Over the past year, Ortega’s government has jailed nearly all of his most prominent opponents, including seven politicians expected to run for president last November. His government has also shut down hundreds of civil society groups, as well as universities and media organizations, in one of the most intense waves of repression in the hemisphere. He has been embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute with religious leaders in the majority-Catholic country, shutting down eight Catholic radio stations and expelling the Vatican’s ambassador, the Rev. Waldemar Sommertag. Authorities also expelled 18 nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, who helped run shelters and orphanages. Relations between Ortega and the church soured after the government cracked down on nationwide protests in 2018, sparking street battles that killed more than 360, according to rights groups. When the Catholic bishops demanded justice, the Ortega government accused them of inciting a coup. Several priests and a prominent bishop, Silvio Baez of Managua, have been exiled. Álvarez, 55, has recently been the government’s most vocal Catholic critic, speaking out in radio and newspaper interviews about what he has condemned as Ortega’s authoritarian behavior. After his arrest, the archdiocese of Managua said his physical condition had deteriorated, but “his courage and spirit are strong.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned about the serious closure of democratic and civic space in Nicaragua and the recent actions against civil society organizations, including those of the Catholic Church,” a deputy spokesman told reporters Friday after the arrest of the bishop. He called on the Nicaraguan government to guarantee “freedoms of association, thought, conscience and religion and to release all people arbitrarily detained.” Nicaragua strips universities of legal status in fresh crackdown on dissent Critics of the government said Alvarez’s detention was surprising even by the standards of a country whose democracy had shrunk. “With an aching, outraged heart I condemn the nightly abduction of Monsignor Álvarez,” tweeted Báez, who lives in the United States. “Once again, the dictatorship has outgrown even its own evil and diabolical spirit.” Pope Francis has not publicly commented on the bishop’s detention or other recent government moves against the Catholic Church, to the dismay of some Latin American human rights activists. The Vatican’s permanent observer to the Organization of American States, Monsignor Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, expressed concern this month about the developments and called for dialogue. Ortega, 76, helped lead the Marxist Sandinista revolution that triumphed in 1979, toppling the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. He headed the government until 1990 and then returned to power in 2007. Last year he won the election after eliminating any possible opposition. Human rights groups say his government has held more than 160 political prisoners. The United Nations estimates that more than 120,000 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018, the largest exodus since the civil war of the 1980s. Álvarez himself left the country during the civil war, moving to Guatemala, where he studied for the priesthood. In 2011, he was named bishop of Matagalpa, one of the least developed regions in Nicaragua. In 2015, he led large protests against government plans to allow mining in a northern region of the country, charging that it would pollute groundwater. The government backed down. The bishop “went on horseback to the most remote parts of the mountains to visit the sick and celebrate Mass,” said Emiliano Chamorro, a journalist who accompanied him on many trips. “People love him. He is a true pastor.”
title: “Nicaragua S Ortega Government Arrests Catholic Bishop Rolando Lvarez Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-30” author: “Rafael Williams”
Comment Federal police raided the home of a Catholic bishop in northern Nicaragua early Friday and arrested one of the most prominent remaining critics of President Daniel Ortega, as the government moved closer to silencing dissent in the Central American country. Authorities placed the bishop, the Rev. Rolando Álvarez, under house arrest at his parents’ home in Managua, the capital. Five priests and two seminarians who were with him at his residence in Matagalpa were locked up in El Chipote, the notorious prison where more than 100 of the president’s opponents have been imprisoned. The government said in a statement that the bishop “persisted in his destabilizing and provocative activities.” He did not specify or say what legal charges the Catholic leader was facing. Two weeks ago, police surrounded his residence, saying he was under investigation for allegedly funding violent anti-government groups, a charge he denies. Government spokeswoman Rosa Murillo – Ortega’s wife and vice president – did not respond to a message seeking comment. Spies, harassment, death threats: Catholic Church in Nicaragua says it is being targeted by the government Over the past year, Ortega’s government has jailed nearly all of his most prominent opponents, including seven politicians expected to run for president last November. His government has also shut down hundreds of civil society groups, as well as universities and media organizations, in one of the most intense waves of repression in the hemisphere. He has been embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute with religious leaders in the majority-Catholic country, shutting down eight Catholic radio stations and expelling the Vatican’s ambassador, the Rev. Waldemar Sommertag. Authorities also expelled 18 nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, who helped run shelters and orphanages. Relations between Ortega and the church soured after the government cracked down on nationwide protests in 2018, sparking street battles that killed more than 360, according to rights groups. When the Catholic bishops demanded justice, the Ortega government accused them of inciting a coup. Several priests and a prominent bishop, Silvio Baez of Managua, have been exiled. Álvarez, 55, has recently been the government’s most vocal Catholic critic, speaking out in radio and newspaper interviews about what he has condemned as Ortega’s authoritarian behavior. After his arrest, the archdiocese of Managua said his physical condition had deteriorated, but “his courage and spirit are strong.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned about the serious closure of democratic and civic space in Nicaragua and the recent actions against civil society organizations, including those of the Catholic Church,” a deputy spokesman told reporters Friday after the arrest of the bishop. He called on the Nicaraguan government to guarantee “freedoms of association, thought, conscience and religion and to release all people arbitrarily detained.” Nicaragua strips universities of legal status in fresh crackdown on dissent Critics of the government said Alvarez’s detention was surprising even by the standards of a country whose democracy had shrunk. “With an aching, outraged heart I condemn the nightly abduction of Monsignor Álvarez,” tweeted Báez, who lives in the United States. “Once again, the dictatorship has outgrown even its own evil and diabolical spirit.” Pope Francis has not publicly commented on the bishop’s detention or other recent government moves against the Catholic Church, to the dismay of some Latin American human rights activists. The Vatican’s permanent observer to the Organization of American States, Monsignor Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, expressed concern this month about the developments and called for dialogue. Ortega, 76, helped lead the Marxist Sandinista revolution that triumphed in 1979, toppling the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. He headed the government until 1990 and then returned to power in 2007. Last year he won the election after eliminating any possible opposition. Human rights groups say his government has held more than 160 political prisoners. The United Nations estimates that more than 120,000 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018, the largest exodus since the civil war of the 1980s. Álvarez himself left the country during the civil war, moving to Guatemala, where he studied for the priesthood. In 2011, he was named bishop of Matagalpa, one of the least developed regions in Nicaragua. In 2015, he led large protests against government plans to allow mining in a northern region of the country, charging that it would pollute groundwater. The government backed down. The bishop “went on horseback to the most remote parts of the mountains to visit the sick and celebrate Mass,” said Emiliano Chamorro, a journalist who accompanied him on many trips. “People love him. He is a true pastor.”
title: “Nicaragua S Ortega Government Arrests Catholic Bishop Rolando Lvarez Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Orlando Lizarraga”
Comment Federal police raided the home of a Catholic bishop in northern Nicaragua early Friday and arrested one of the most prominent remaining critics of President Daniel Ortega, as the government moved closer to silencing dissent in the Central American country. Authorities placed the bishop, the Rev. Rolando Álvarez, under house arrest at his parents’ home in Managua, the capital. Five priests and two seminarians who were with him at his residence in Matagalpa were locked up in El Chipote, the notorious prison where more than 100 of the president’s opponents have been imprisoned. The government said in a statement that the bishop “persisted in his destabilizing and provocative activities.” He did not specify or say what legal charges the Catholic leader was facing. Two weeks ago, police surrounded his residence, saying he was under investigation for allegedly funding violent anti-government groups, a charge he denies. Government spokeswoman Rosa Murillo – Ortega’s wife and vice president – did not respond to a message seeking comment. Spies, harassment, death threats: Catholic Church in Nicaragua says it is being targeted by the government Over the past year, Ortega’s government has jailed nearly all of his most prominent opponents, including seven politicians expected to run for president last November. His government has also shut down hundreds of civil society groups, as well as universities and media organizations, in one of the most intense waves of repression in the hemisphere. He has been embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute with religious leaders in the majority-Catholic country, shutting down eight Catholic radio stations and expelling the Vatican’s ambassador, the Rev. Waldemar Sommertag. Authorities also expelled 18 nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, who helped run shelters and orphanages. Relations between Ortega and the church soured after the government cracked down on nationwide protests in 2018, sparking street battles that killed more than 360, according to rights groups. When the Catholic bishops demanded justice, the Ortega government accused them of inciting a coup. Several priests and a prominent bishop, Silvio Baez of Managua, have been exiled. Álvarez, 55, has recently been the government’s most vocal Catholic critic, speaking out in radio and newspaper interviews about what he has condemned as Ortega’s authoritarian behavior. After his arrest, the archdiocese of Managua said his physical condition had deteriorated, but “his courage and spirit are strong.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned about the serious closure of democratic and civic space in Nicaragua and the recent actions against civil society organizations, including those of the Catholic Church,” a deputy spokesman told reporters Friday after the arrest of the bishop. He called on the Nicaraguan government to guarantee “freedoms of association, thought, conscience and religion and to release all people arbitrarily detained.” Nicaragua strips universities of legal status in fresh crackdown on dissent Critics of the government said Alvarez’s detention was surprising even by the standards of a country whose democracy had shrunk. “With an aching, outraged heart I condemn the nightly abduction of Monsignor Álvarez,” tweeted Báez, who lives in the United States. “Once again, the dictatorship has outgrown even its own evil and diabolical spirit.” Pope Francis has not publicly commented on the bishop’s detention or other recent government moves against the Catholic Church, to the dismay of some Latin American human rights activists. The Vatican’s permanent observer to the Organization of American States, Monsignor Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, expressed concern this month about the developments and called for dialogue. Ortega, 76, helped lead the Marxist Sandinista revolution that triumphed in 1979, toppling the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. He headed the government until 1990 and then returned to power in 2007. Last year he won the election after eliminating any possible opposition. Human rights groups say his government has held more than 160 political prisoners. The United Nations estimates that more than 120,000 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018, the largest exodus since the civil war of the 1980s. Álvarez himself left the country during the civil war, moving to Guatemala, where he studied for the priesthood. In 2011, he was named bishop of Matagalpa, one of the least developed regions in Nicaragua. In 2015, he led large protests against government plans to allow mining in a northern region of the country, charging that it would pollute groundwater. The government backed down. The bishop “went on horseback to the most remote parts of the mountains to visit the sick and celebrate Mass,” said Emiliano Chamorro, a journalist who accompanied him on many trips. “People love him. He is a true pastor.”
title: “Nicaragua S Ortega Government Arrests Catholic Bishop Rolando Lvarez Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-09” author: “Jo Scroggins”
Comment Federal police raided the home of a Catholic bishop in northern Nicaragua early Friday and arrested one of the most prominent remaining critics of President Daniel Ortega, as the government moved closer to silencing dissent in the Central American country. Authorities placed the bishop, the Rev. Rolando Álvarez, under house arrest at his parents’ home in Managua, the capital. Five priests and two seminarians who were with him at his residence in Matagalpa were locked up in El Chipote, the notorious prison where more than 100 of the president’s opponents have been imprisoned. The government said in a statement that the bishop “persisted in his destabilizing and provocative activities.” He did not specify or say what legal charges the Catholic leader was facing. Two weeks ago, police surrounded his residence, saying he was under investigation for allegedly funding violent anti-government groups, a charge he denies. Government spokeswoman Rosa Murillo – Ortega’s wife and vice president – did not respond to a message seeking comment. Spies, harassment, death threats: Catholic Church in Nicaragua says it is being targeted by the government Over the past year, Ortega’s government has jailed nearly all of his most prominent opponents, including seven politicians expected to run for president last November. His government has also shut down hundreds of civil society groups, as well as universities and media organizations, in one of the most intense waves of repression in the hemisphere. He has been embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute with religious leaders in the majority-Catholic country, shutting down eight Catholic radio stations and expelling the Vatican’s ambassador, the Rev. Waldemar Sommertag. Authorities also expelled 18 nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, who helped run shelters and orphanages. Relations between Ortega and the church soured after the government cracked down on nationwide protests in 2018, sparking street battles that killed more than 360, according to rights groups. When the Catholic bishops demanded justice, the Ortega government accused them of inciting a coup. Several priests and a prominent bishop, Silvio Baez of Managua, have been exiled. Álvarez, 55, has recently been the government’s most vocal Catholic critic, speaking out in radio and newspaper interviews about what he has condemned as Ortega’s authoritarian behavior. After his arrest, the archdiocese of Managua said his physical condition had deteriorated, but “his courage and spirit are strong.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned about the serious closure of democratic and civic space in Nicaragua and the recent actions against civil society organizations, including those of the Catholic Church,” a deputy spokesman told reporters Friday after the arrest of the bishop. He called on the Nicaraguan government to guarantee “freedoms of association, thought, conscience and religion and to release all people arbitrarily detained.” Nicaragua strips universities of legal status in fresh crackdown on dissent Critics of the government said Alvarez’s detention was surprising even by the standards of a country whose democracy had shrunk. “With an aching, outraged heart I condemn the nightly abduction of Monsignor Álvarez,” tweeted Báez, who lives in the United States. “Once again, the dictatorship has outgrown even its own evil and diabolical spirit.” Pope Francis has not publicly commented on the bishop’s detention or other recent government moves against the Catholic Church, to the dismay of some Latin American human rights activists. The Vatican’s permanent observer to the Organization of American States, Monsignor Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, expressed concern this month about the developments and called for dialogue. Ortega, 76, helped lead the Marxist Sandinista revolution that triumphed in 1979, toppling the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. He headed the government until 1990 and then returned to power in 2007. Last year he won the election after eliminating any possible opposition. Human rights groups say his government has held more than 160 political prisoners. The United Nations estimates that more than 120,000 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018, the largest exodus since the civil war of the 1980s. Álvarez himself left the country during the civil war, moving to Guatemala, where he studied for the priesthood. In 2011, he was named bishop of Matagalpa, one of the least developed regions in Nicaragua. In 2015, he led large protests against government plans to allow mining in a northern region of the country, charging that it would pollute groundwater. The government backed down. The bishop “went on horseback to the most remote parts of the mountains to visit the sick and celebrate Mass,” said Emiliano Chamorro, a journalist who accompanied him on many trips. “People love him. He is a true pastor.”
