It has been one year since the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo ordered the closure and confiscation of the Central American University (UCA) in Nicaragua. The Central American Province of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuit order that administered the university, denounces the unjustified seizure of properties, research centers, libraries and financial resources of the alma mater.
“The confiscation of this university has caused “invaluable” damage to Nicaragua’s scientific and cultural heritage, seriously affecting the right to education of thousands of young people, the academic freedom exercised by hundreds of teachers, the labor rights of all staff and the right to property of this religious organization,” the Jesuit Company stressed in a statement issued on August 15.
For the Jesuits, this aggression is part of a context of “systematic repression” that continues in Nicaragua, in which “any person or institution that is suspected of not being in agreement with the regime” is attacked. In the published document, the religious leaders emphasize that these violations have been classified as “crimes against humanity” by the United Nations Human Rights organization.
In its statement, the Society of Jesus expresses its solidarity with the victims who have suffered repression by the regime and demands that the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship cease the repression, stop committing constant and systematic violations of human rights, and release political prisoners.
The religious institution calls on the government to respect the rule of law and seek a national consensus in which truth, justice and dialogue prevail. They also reaffirm their commitment to the Nicaraguan people in favor of a quality, inclusive education, inspired by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are grateful for the displays of support at the national and international level.
On August 15, 2023, the government announced the confiscation of all its real estate and assets, leaving more than five thousand students in educational limbo and more than 400 workers unemployed. Financial institutions had announced the blocking of the alma mater’s bank accounts seven days before the closure.
One day after the closure of the UCA, the Sandinista regime, through the National Council of Universities (CNU), created a new university, allocating the entire main building and calling it the Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro National University. The Ortega government has closed more than 30 universities since 2022.
