The priest Edwing Román, who served as pastor of the San Miguel Arcángel Church in Masaya and one of the most critical Nicaraguan religious of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, targeted those who easily condemn and act like Pharisees.
In the current context of Nicaragua, the publication of the Catholic leader alludes to the country’s presidential marriage. Ortega and Murillo have ordered prison terms for 177 opponents, of whom more than 40 were arrested between May and November 2021, months before the general elections, described by the international community as illegitimate.
Related news: Father Edwing Román: “There have always been corrupt judges who sentence innocent people”
Recently, the State has sentenced more than 30 political prisoners to between eight and 13 years, accusing them of alleged “money laundering, conspiracy, cybercrimes and treason.” Among the detainees there are 21 elderly Nicaraguans with multiple ailments.
Román, who has been in the United States since August 2021, quoted on his Twitter account the Gospel according to Saint John, taking up chapter 8 verse 7 and said: “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.”
He then pointed out that “even knowing the love of God, many times we do not act with love, but rather like those Pharisees condemning easily, looking for the sin of others to throw stones at it, covering our serious sins.”
The State, under the command of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, is accused of crimes against humanity, acts committed in the context of the civic protests that began in April 2018. The government repression left 355 murdered, more than four thousand injured and forced more than 100,000 Nicaraguans into exile, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Father Román has become a recognized figure in the country. Since 2018, he has joined the general demand of the people demanding justice, freedom and democracy for the country. In addition, he calls for respect for the human rights of prisoners of conscience. The most recent raid by the dictatorship against opponents has been branded as “political revenge” and, according to analysts, reflects the regime’s “fear” of losing power.
