The priest Allan Alfonso Paizano, from the Santiago Apóstol Parish, in Boaco, spoke out and decided to break the silence on July 14, to denounce the arrest of Monsignor José Leonardo Urbina Rodríguez, who was accused of allegedly committing the crimes of “rape and psychological injuries» to a minor.
During the program broadcast by Radio Católica de Boaco, the religious leader said that the family and the community “are hurt” by the way in which the priest has been treated as if “he were a criminal.” «Brother Leonardo does not fight with anyone, he is a super easygoing person, he has always been super kind, everyone’s friend, how he is not going to hurt. It hurts deep down to see him humiliated, handcuffed, like a criminal, it hurts,” said the father.
Related news: Regime presents priest José Leonardo Urbina, accused of alleged rape
Paizano questioned the justice of the regime stating that “if I am accused, I will appear before the law, if I am accused, they will prove my guilt, the question is, am I going to find an independent and impartial court in this country? In order for article 10 to guarantee me, our Constitution says that we are all equal. In addition, no one can be taken away from their competent judge taken to another jurisdiction says the Constitution in article 34 ».
The religious pointed out the irregularities in the actions of the justice system that exposed the priest and decided to imprison him immediately, despite the fact that the Political Constitution establishes that every person has the right to be presumed innocent. In this sense, the parish priest said that Nicaraguans are in a state of defenselessness because Father Leonardo Urbina “is guilty for being a priest.”
“What these things give us is sadness, the defenseless state in which we Nicaraguans find ourselves, where we are not asked, where we are not judged for being innocent or guilty, but because we are declared guilty for being priests, that is the problem, if I am found guilty because I am guilty, I have an obligation before God and before men to answer for my mistakes, but my guilt must be proven and then this is a serious problem, “said Paizano, who in turn assured that the sentence is already known, recalling the case of Father Manuel García, who was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison.
Related news: Parishioners ask to suspend patron saint festivities of Boaco in solidarity with Monsignor Leonardo Urbina
Urbina was presented to the official media in a blue prison outfit and accompanied by armed police officers to be accused of raping a 12-year-old girl. According to information released by the regime’s media, the minor’s parents filed a complaint against the priest and he was transferred to the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, known as “El Nuevo Chipote”, to appear before a judge.
The parishioners of Boaco set out to protest against the situation that they consider an “injustice” against the priest and demand freedom for the religious leader in the case that he would be the second priest to be prosecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.
“The problem is not that we are accused, we are never going to claim irresponsibility, we are never going to claim immunity, we are never going to claim impunity, but as human beings we have rights as citizens of this country, we have rights, we know them, we know it and we can point out how can we help because of the defenseless state we are in? Knowing that many times to be accused is to be condemned, knowing many times that the sentence is already known from the accusation, then it is hard, however, we hope in God, “Paizano concluded during the live broadcast of the Catholic media.
