The accusation against Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, by the alleged crimes of “conspiracy” and “propagation of false news”, generated a wave of indignation and rejection in human rights organizations, Catholic leaders and representatives of the international community, although the hierarchy of the country’s Catholic Church, represented in the Episcopal Conference and Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes keep a questionable silence.
Bishop Álvarez, head of the Diocese of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, was formally accused this Tuesday, December 13, after 116 days of being kidnapped by the Ortega Police despite not having any formal accusation. Ortega judge Karen Vanessa Chavarría Morales, head of the Ninth Criminal Court of Hearing in Managua, and executioner of political prisoners, admitted the accusation against the Catholic hierarch and decreed house arrest, which was already de facto since August 19. At the same time, he scheduled the initial hearing for January 10, 2023.
In the press release of the Judiciary on the case of Monsignor Álvarez, the Ortega regime released some photographs of the bishop in the capital’s courts with an evident loss of weight and paleness. “It is shocking,” said the president of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh), Vilma Núñez, regarding the situation of the prelate, in an interview with the program Tonightwhich is broadcast on YouTube due to the television censorship imposed by the Ortegus regime since January 2019.
“It has become clear that they could not break him, they tried to make him give in, to force him to leave the country, which was what they wanted, and definitely, I think that the monsignor has given us a show of strength, that his principles based on his gospel that he preaches daily is firm and he has decided to continue accompanying the people of Nicaragua,” said Núñez.
The auxiliary bishop Silvio Báez, exiled in 2019 due to the persecution of the Ortega regime, described the accusation against his brother of faith as “a crime” and demanded his freedom.
“By insulting him, they condemn themselves. Roland, you are not alone! We are with you, we pray for you and we demand your freedom. With you is God, who does not abandon his prophets ”, he expressed in a tweet.
The Nunca Más Nicaragua Human Rights Collective repudiated the “infamous” accusation against Álvarez. “Bishops and priests have been the target of attacks since 2018, when they were beaten and forced into exile, such as Monsignor Silvio Báez, Father Edwing Román and other priests, while other religious have been convicted or are in jail awaiting trials with false accusations,” he warned. this Class in a statement.
Monsignor Rolando Álvarez is a spiritual leader for millions of Nicaraguans and a defender of dialogue and reconciliation. He represents the best of the Nicaraguan people. Accusing him of conspiracy to undermine national integrity is the cynical act of an authoritarian state
— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) December 14, 2022
The Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nicholsdescribed the fact as a “cynical act of a totalitarian State.”
“Monsignor Rolando Álvarez is a spiritual leader for millions of Nicaraguans and a defender of dialogue and reconciliation. He represents the best of the Nicaraguan people, ”said the senior US official in a Twitter message.
The Nicaraguan Center for Open Education and Training of Costa Rica in conjunction with the Paulo Freire University and the organization Liberales de Nicaragua in Exile also condemned the process against the bishop.
In the same case against Monsignor Álvarez, he is accused the exiled priest Uriel Antonio Vallejoswho was considered a “fugitive from justice” and a letter was sent to Interpol for his capture, which is not effective for people seeking refuge, as is the case of the religious.
Vallejos reacted to the legal action against him, pointing out that only criminals are persecuted, “and criminals are in power turning order against others, shielded by their repressive apparatus. It would be very grateful to Interpol to capture the criminals who misgovern Nicaragua, ”he said on his Twitter account.
Only criminals are persecuted. And the criminals are in power turning order against the others, shielded in their repressive apparatus. It would be very grateful to Interpol to capture the criminals who misrule Nicaragua.
— Father Uriel Vallejos (@pbrourielv) December 14, 2022
Bishop Álvarez is the last of eleven religious imprisoned in this 2022 to be prosecuted, by the hand of a machinery of judges, prosecutors and Ortega defenders. Two priests have already been sentenced for common crimes, while the rest are awaiting the start of the trial.
A “rosary” of violations against Monsignor Rolando Álvarez
The Ortega Police kidnapped on Friday, August 19 to Monsignor Álvarez, in an assault on the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa, where the prelate remained for 15 days, together with other religious, surrounded by riot police, allegedly under investigation for “organizing violent groups”, “with the purpose of destabilizing the State of Nicaragua and attacking the constitutional authorities.
The bishop was transferred to Managua and placed in prison, despite the fact that the Police do not have the authority to determine precautionary measures. That function corresponds exclusively to a judge.
The four priests, two seminarians and a cameraman who accompanied the bishop in the Curia were taken to the Directorate of Judicial Assistance (DAJ), El Chipote and are currently being prosecuted for “conspiracy” and “propagation of false news.” The prelate remained kidnapped or in forced disappearance for three months, without the judicial or police authorities reporting on his case.
With the admission of the accusation and the judicial decree of house by prison, the “dictatorship” assumes the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the bishop and has the obligation to comply with all the norms established in the minimum rules for the treatment of deprived of liberty, Nunez explained.
In an interview with the program Tonightthe lawyer and investigator, Martha Patricia Molina, expressed that the case against the bishop joins the 396 attacks against the Catholic Church that have been registered since 2018, when the religious institution upheld the defense of the human rights of the Nicaraguan population in a context of state repression.
Molina described the judicial process as “unlawful” since Álvarez “in addition to having the Public Ministry against him, will also have the public defender and the judge against him. Monsignor Álvarez is the victim and the perpetrator is the State, which, with all the power it has, should already have until the sentence is drawn up.
Núñez and Molina detailed some of the violated rights of the religious leader, including the right to freedom of expression, freedom of religious demonstration, freedom of movement, physical, mental and moral integrity, in addition to the presumption of innocence.
During the time that Monsignor Álvarez was kidnapped, it is unknown if the judicial authority held the special hearing for the protection of constitutional guarantees, which extends the period of detention of a person up to 90 days to be investigated. These types of hearings have been characterized by being secret and are known once the file of the political prisoner is accessed. If that had been the case of the bishop, his status went from kidnapping to illegal detention because the judicial authority exceeded the term established by law to initiate a procedural act, explained the lawyer “Luis”, who agreed to speak with CONFIDENTIAL under anonymity.
In an interview with the program Tonightthe lawyer Yader Morazán said that the judicial action against Monsignor Álvarez responds to “simulating a show”, because in Nicaraguan legislation there is no legal figure “that endorses this type of judicial action, in which the defender, the Public Ministry and the Police”.
In the same sense, the lawyer “Luis” stressed that this process shows “a subordination to guidelines of a political order against a high-ranking leader of the Catholic Church. Everything that has been done is illegal and has criminal consequences for officials.”
Morazán detailed the “multiple arbitrariness” against the bishop, who was removed from his natural judge, who corresponds to Matagalpa. In addition, the defense should have protested against this element and a guarantor judge should have reviewed the conditions of deprivation of liberty prior to that hearing and ordered that the process be released because this person was held for ransom for more than one hundred days.
They question the silence of the Catholic hierarchy
After more than 24 hours after the accusation against Monsignor Álvarez became known, neither the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference (CEN) nor Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes have ruled on the case. Both Núñez and Molina questioned the silence of the highest authorities of the Church and urged them to raise their voices in the face of the worsening persecution of the Catholic Church.
“It hurts us a lot to see the indifference, the accommodation, and to a certain extent these images that do not adhere to a reality that have been transmitted by silence or by ambiguous statements from the Catholic Church. I do not want to personalize, but they know that above all we are referring to the cardinal, who has the responsibility and obligations to watch over his church, to watch over his pastors, ”Núñez said.
At the same time, he called on Pope Francis and the Nicaraguan hierarchs to pronounce themselves on the situation of the bishop because “they are also victims, because the persecution of Monsignor Álvarez is a persecution of the Catholic Church and they were merciless in the most authentic, in the best that the Catholic Church has right now here in Nicaragua,” he said. On the other hand, Molina said that the minimum that is expected from the CEN is a statement of support, but if they do not, “they must know what their strategies are to follow.”
For lawyer Molina, Monsignor Álvarez looks “physically deteriorated, he looks completely emaciated” and warned that it is unknown if he has been a victim of torture, which is not only referred to as physical, but can also be psychological.
Núñez warned that it is unknown where the bishop is. Despite the fact that the Police decreed house arrest, they did not specify where he is sheltered. “He does not have an address in Managua. We know that he is not with his relatives, his relatives have not come out to say ‘he is with us,’” he said.
