A Nicaraguan legislative commission assured in a report presented to the National Assembly that victims of the protests that broke out in the country in 2018 “demanded justice for the religious and directors of Human Rights organizations,” which the government has accused of being accomplices of the opposition.
Among the Nicaraguan government officials consulted by the Parliament’s Justice Commission are police commissioners, prosecutors and even pro-government deputies, whom the opposition has pointed out as participating in the repression of the government of Daniel Ortega.
Nicaraguan priests and bishops have criticized the administration of President Daniel Ortega for the repression of the 2018 protests, which left more than 300 dead, according to human rights organizations.
“What was done was a consultation process attended by representatives of government institutions,” explained deputy Álvaro Rivera, vice president of the Parliament’s Justice Commission, to the voice of america.
“Alleged victims attended the consultation,” Rivera said. “That’s what I call them because the [víctimas] who just arrived are those related to the government, ”he added.
The legislative commission suggested reforms to the legal norms after reviewing a combo of laws approved by the National Assembly in 2020, among which are the Foreign Agents Law, the Sovereignty Law and the Cybercrime Law, under which most opponents.
The National Assembly approved The report last week and announced that it will create an inter-institutional commission to reform the laws.
The Church responds
The church became in 2018 in a shelter for protesters that they used the temples to protect themselves from state repression, according to human rights organizations, which is why Ortega has accused the priests of being participants in an alleged coup attempt against him.
Given the accusations, the Church has not referred directly, however some priests critical of Ortega asked that they be prayed for in their homilies.
The Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Monsignor Silvio Báez, who is currently in the Santa Agatha Church in Miami, mentioned that “beyond the threats of those who hate the Church, there is a strong hand that guides and protects”.
“The hand of Jesus, which supports the Church, is stronger than the slander and persecution that are unleashed against it. The Church may seem weak, but she is not. Let’s not be afraid. We are in good hands,” Baez said.
Meanwhile, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, stressed in a recent homily that when complaints of “sin and injustice” are made, there may be people who are uncomfortable, but, he said, the challenge must be to move forward.
“When you announce the hope and love of God in your communities, but also denounce sin and injustice, there may be people who say the same about you. Who can admit those words that are very harsh and intolerable? You already know then that if someone says that about you, they first said it about Christ. If God is with us, who is against us?” he mentioned in a homily.
Nicaragua’s Catholic Church has been a bastion of resistance against President Daniel Ortega, who has dismantled any shred of protest against him by jailing opposition leaders and banning any kind of demonstration.
* With information from Daliana Ocaña, from VOA, from Managua.
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