The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) denounced that the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, during the first month of 2023, has deepened the persecution against the Catholic Church.
The repressive escalation of the Ortega dictatorship “evidence that we live in a country where religious persecution is a real risk,” he said in a video posted on his Twitter account. Twitter. The agency listed a series of abuses and violations of human rights faced by the religious in January.
So far this year, the Ortega y Murillo regime has mounted “spurious trials” against the priests Oscar Benavidez, Ramiro Tijerino, José Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios; the deacon Raul Antonio Vega; the seminarians Melkin Rye Y Darvin Leiva; and the cameraman Sergio Cardenas.
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In addition, the Ortega court held an initial hearing for Monsignor Rolando Alvarezbishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, who was sent to trial “without a date for its completion, prolonging the legal limbo,” said Cenidh.
All the religious, except Bishop Álvarez, because he has not yet faced trial, were found guilty by the regime of the alleged crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and propagation of false news.
The entity also included that, during the month of January, Ortega “prohibited and prevented religious activities in different churches nationwide.”
He stressed that “he has denied entry to priests to his own country” as recently happened with Monsignor Rodrigo Urbina, parish priest of the San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba church, belonging to the Diocese of León and Chinandega, who was preparing to return to Nicaragua for a trip to Miami, United States.
In addition, “he has forced other religious into exile, due to persecution and threats of arrest. The priests Carlos Zeledonparish priest of the municipality of San Dionisio, and Jorge Leonel Mairena Sanchezparish priest of the Nuestra Señora de Lourdes de El Tuma-La Dalia church, in Matagalpa, are the most recent cases.
Cenidh assured that the regime not only intends to completely “dismantle” the Diocese of Matagalpa, but also “dismantle the entire Catholic Church.”
“Are they trying to remove Nicaraguans from their religious options and impose other people’s beliefs disguised as Christianity?” he questioned.
“Given this panorama full of generalized violence that affects the Catholic Church on the front line, we demand that the regime, with the strength of the words of the saint of America, Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, cease the repression,” he concluded.
