On Sunday night, December 11, the police of the Ortega regime captured Wilberto Artola, a journalist from the Media Diocese of Matagalpa, who worked for the church channel TV Merced, where the Eucharist was broadcast by Monsignor Rolando Álvarez and the same way the Shepherding and Communion program.
The kidnapping of the communicator was reported by the lawyer Yader Morazán, who said that “two new police kidnappings carried out on Sunday night, against two members of the church, the first to the detriment of Manuel Antonio Obando Cortedano, a journalist and who served as Head of Media for the Diocese. And the second, to the detriment of Wilberto Artola, who worked for the TV Merced church channel. Added to the disappearance of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, to whom not even a writ of habeas corpus (amparo) for illegal detention has been promoted in his favor ».
Related news: They arrest Manuel Obando, a trusted journalist of Monsignor Álvarez
“Despite the fact that the National Police admitted to having illegally taken him, along with his 7 companions from the Episcopal Curia that is still taken over by the Ortega-Murillo guard. Plus Father Óscar Benavides. Also, the celebration of the historic procession of the Virgin of Guadalupe has been prohibited, “added the judicial officer.
Anonymous sources point out that this capture “is not like that” and stress that the dictatorship perhaps intends to use the communicators “for other purposes and point out Monsignor Rolando (Alvarez) of crimes that they want to fabricate him.”
The Ortega-Murillo dictatorship keeps a dozen priests, seminarians, deacons and laymen in prison accused of crimes of treason against the homeland; others were charged with crimes such as sexual assault. Most are detained at the Judicial Assistance Directorate (DAJ), known as “El Chipote”.
Monsignor Álvarez is the only religious who has been in “home custody” since August 19 when he was abducted from the Episcopal Palace of Matagalpa and taken to Managua where he is allegedly being held at the home of a relative. To date he has not been charged with any crime.
Human rights defenders have warned that the persecution against the Catholic Church is not a recent issue, however, since 2018 there has been a greater number of hostilities “that possibly were not carried out in the past.” For the expert, the attack of the Ortega dictatorship against the Church will not diminish, but will increase at the end of this year due to the apathy of Ortega and Murillo.
