The Ortega justice accused this Tuesday, December 13 to Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, for the alleged crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and propagation of false news, the same charges for which the dictatorship has sentenced more than 40 political prisoners.
The initial hearing was scheduled for January 10, 2023, according to a press release from the Judiciary.
After 116 days kidnapped under “House for jail” de facto, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo presented the religious leader with evident weight loss. The Ortega propaganda media published two photographs of Álvarez in the Managua Criminal District Courts.
On the case of Monsignor Álvarez, the silence of the Catholic Church has prevailed. I know unknown what is the state of physical and mental health of the religious leader, if he has had access to a medical examination and what housing conditions he is in.
On November 23, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) urged the Catholic hierarchy to report on the situation of Álvarez. The organization assured that the bishop had suffered a fall – without specifying the severity – that he was ill and was not with his family.
Priest Uriel Vallejos, “fugitive from justice”
In the same accusation against Álvarez, the regime included the exiled priest Uriel Antonio Vallejos who did they consider “fugitive from justice” and a letter was sent to Interpol for his capture.
The priest was besieged by the Ortega Police inside the Jesús de la Divina Misericordia parish, in Sébaco, for three days last August.
On the morning of August 4, the Police took him to the Nuestra Señora de Fátima interdiocesan seminary, in Managua, and ordered him not to leave, revealed the priest, who considers that the intention of the agents was not only to confiscate the equipment of Radio Católica de Sébaco —which he denounced on social networks—, but rather “take me to prison (the Directorate of Judicial Assistance), El Chipote,” Vallejos said.
Álvarez is the last Catholic religious accused by the Ortega justice system. Ortega has imprisoned, since last June, ten priests of the Catholic Church. The first was the priest Manuel Garcia Rodriguez, allegedly convicted of beating a woman; the second, Monsignor José Leonardo Urbina, convicted of the alleged crime of sexual abuse and minor psychological injuries to a minor under 14 years of age.
The third is the priest Oscar Benavidez, currently under investigation for ninety days by the Prosecutor’s Office due to a “ghost” crime, but of which the State of Nicaragua recognizes itself as “victim and offended.”
They were joined by the priests José Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios, first and second vicar of the San Pedro Cathedral, respectively; Ramiro Tijerino, rector of the Juan Pablo II University and in charge of the San Juan Bautista parish; the priest Raúl González and the seminarians Darvin Leyva and Melkin Sequeira. This group accompanied Monsignor Álvarez during the 15 days that they remained besieged by dozens of riot police in the rectory of the Diocese of Matagalpa.
Last October, the regime kidnapped the priest Enrique Martinez Gamboa64 years old, and later accused him of the alleged crime of conspiracy in competition with the propagation of false news.
Silence Bishop Álvarez
Monsignor Álvarez is one of the most critical voices within the Catholic hierarchy against the Government of Daniel Ortega. His pastoral ministry focused on defending human rights and denouncing violations, injustices, abuse of power, corruption, and the authoritarianism prevailing in Ortega’s cabinet.
his prophetic voice toured remote communities in the north of the country, where they still resent the kidnapping of their pastor and six religious, accused of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity” and “propagation of false news”.
With his imprisonment, they seek “that he does not continue talking, that he does not continue showing his face… the extortion is that he shut up politically speaking,” explained the legal specialist, Yader Morazán.
