The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo keeps nine priests of the Catholic Church imprisoned. In his brutal attack on the religious, some have been accused of common crimes and others for “conspiracy to undermine national integrity and spread false news.”
The first priest arrested was Father Manuel Salvador García, parish priest of the Jesús de Nazareno church, in the municipality of Nandaime of the Diocese of Granada. The religious was apprehended on June 1, 2021.
García was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the alleged crimes of physical and psychological injuries to the detriment of Martha Candelaria Rivas, who refused to denounce the priest and was accused of the alleged crime of “false testimony.”
The second religious prisoner is Monsignor Leonardo Urbina Rodríguez, parish priest of the Church of Perpetual Help in Boaco, who was arrested on July 13 in his city. The regime sentenced him to 30 years in prison for the alleged crime of rape of a minor under 14 years of age and minor psychological injuries to the detriment of the 12-year-old victim of initials MJVS.
Related news: Father Enrique Martínez “kidnapped” in Managua
The sentence was imposed on September 1, by the Ortega judge Edén Enrique Aguilar Castro, of the Third Court Specialized in Violence against Women.
The “victim” is the State
Father Óscar Benavidez, pastor of the Iglesia Espíritu Santo, in Mulukukú, in the Diocese of Suina, was arrested on Sunday afternoon, August 14, and became the third Catholic priest in prison.
He was apprehended after leaving the Concepción de María chapel, where he gave his homily based on the persecution and harassment of the prophets. He was taken to the cells of the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), known as “El Chipote” where he has remained since that date.
In the system of causes of the Judicial Power, the authorities do not specify the nature of the crime that they attribute to the religious, but they indicate that the “victim” is the State. The indictment was filed on September 8 last.
Accused of “conspiracy and false news”
In the early hours of August 19, three priests, two seminarians and a layman were abducted from the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa along with Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa. The religious had spent 15 days surrounded by the Police without being able to leave the site.
After several weeks of remaining in legal limbo, the dictatorship decided to charge them with alleged crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and spread false news to the detriment of the Nicaraguan State and society.
The defendants are the first and second vicar of the Cathedral of San Pedro, in Matagalpa, José Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios, respectively; as well as the priests Ramiro Tijerino—rector of the Juan Pablo II University—and Father Raúl Vega González. The others used are the seminarians Darvin Leiva and Melkin Centeno Sequeira, as well as the cameraman Sergio Cárdenas.
The bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa is serving 72 days of “kidnapping” imposed by the Daniel Ortega regime. Until now, the legal situation that the religious is going through is unknown. According to sources, the Police have restricted family visits to the prelate of Matagalpa and the other religious detained in this context are also held incommunicado.
Ninth priest imprisoned
Father Enrique Martínez Gamboa, pastor of the Santa Martha Church, of the Archdiocese of Managua, was kidnapped on the afternoon of Thursday, October 13, Father Uriel Vallejos denounced on his Twitter social network account. With this arrest there are already nine priests, two seminarians and a layman in prison.
A video of Father Gamboa went viral on social networks when he took the microphone at the end of the 2018 Mother’s Day march outside the Central American University (UCA). In the midst of the repression exerted by the Police a few meters from the place, the priest launched an encouraging speech that ignited the spirit of the population that was protesting in demand for justice.
“Nicaraguans are the majority, we have a clean heart, not blood-soaked hands like others. Don’t cower, don’t cower. Long live Nicaragua! Killer couple out! Out with the miserable murderers! Out, out, out!” said the priest.
Two weeks ago, the dictator Ortega attacked the Catholic Church led by Pope Francis, accusing it of not practicing democracy, of being a “dictatorship” and a “perfect tyranny” and of having used “its bishops in Nicaragua to give a coup d’état” to his regime in the framework of the demonstrations that broke out in April 2018 due to failed social security reforms.
