The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo allowed the showgirl Sujin Membreño to leave the police siege in which six priests and five lay people, led by Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez, continue to be “kidnapped” in the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa for six days, they confirmed. various sources close to the Diocese of Matagalpa.
Membreño, 22, was one of the choristers who, together with the young Henri Corvera, were in charge of the song that Álvarez —bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Estelí— shared on social networks since the Police imposed house by jail, last Friday, August 5, for being investigated for allegedly “organizing violent groups” and “carrying out acts of hate,” the institution said in a statement.
Bianka Hernández, Membreño’s sister, confirmed through her Facebook account that the young showgirl was already at home. She thanked the Police for “taking care of her” and the “good management of our Government”, she wrote in a post, which was later deleted. Several sources close to the Diocese of Matagalpa consulted by CONFIDENTIAL They assured that the young woman was outside the Curia, but the details of her departure are unknown amid dozens of riot police stationed on all sides of the building.
According to the newspaper La Prensa, the young woman left thanks to a negotiation carried out by her family with the Police, considering that her sister is a member of the Sandinista Youth, as evidenced by her publications on social networks.
Membreño is the only person from the group of “kidnapped” evacuated. Bishop Álvarez and the priests are still inside: José Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios, first and second vicar of the San Pedro Cathedral, respectively; Óscar Escoto, parish priest of the Santa María de Guadalupe church; Ramiro Tijerino, rector of the John Paul II University and in charge of the San Juan Bautista parish; and Raul Gonzalez.
There are also seminarians Darvin Leyva and Melkin Sequeira; the chorister Henri Corvera and the cameramen Sergio Cárdenas and Flavio Castro.
This Monday it was confirmed by various members of the parishes that the Police have prevented the delivery of medicines and food to the group held in the curia. La Prensa also pointed out that since Monday, the agents blocked the entry of the person in charge of preparing food in the Curia.
Photo: Capture of social networks
Their lives “they are in danger”
Since Sunday, the live transmissions, including the midday mass that Monsignor Álvarez officiated in the chapel of Las Misericordias, inside the Curia, have ceased for the safety of the group. Communication remains limited and so far, the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference (CEN) has not provided further details on the current status of priests and laity.
The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) warned this Tuesday that the lives of all of them “they are in danger”.
“We are certain that perverse and concrete actions are being promoted against Monsignor Álvarez and other hostages. We denounce these crimes to the world, we denounce Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to the world”, said the DD agency. H H. on his Twitter account.
Some of the religious suffer from chronic problems of hypertension and require daily intake of medication.
It was also learned that the group has little food, which they have had to ration, since they do not know how long the regime intends to keep them locked up and without access to some type of food supply.
?⚪ URGENT ALERT by Monsignor Rolando Álvarez and other people kidnapped in the episcopal curia THEIR LIVES ARE IN DANGER. We denounce to the world the crimes of the Ortega Murillo regime against the church, its clerics,
and against all of Nicaragua. #NicaraguaSupportsTheChurch pic.twitter.com/zirZHEgdHG— Cenidh (@cenidh) August 9, 2022
shows of solidarity
During these six days of police siege, different national and international Catholic institutions have published, on their social networks, messages of solidarity, closeness and prayer in support of the group of “kidnapped”. This Monday, the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala expressed its support for Nicaraguan Catholics and asked the Central American brothers to pray for peace in Nicaragua.
Before, the Bolivian Episcopal Conference said they were closely following and with deep pain the “situation that the Church and the Nicaraguan people are suffering due to the persecution they suffer from their political authorities,” they indicated in a statement.
The Conference of the Mexican Episcopate pointed out the suppression of individual guarantees, particularly the rights of freedom of expression and religious freedom.
“We know that in communities, families, consecrated life, priests, laity, children and young people suffer from conditions that generate fear, take away tranquility, and steal peace. They even experience difficulty celebrating worship, praying and announcing the gospel.”says the statement from the Mexican pastors.
The Paraguayan Episcopal Conference condemned, through a statement, “any type of violence, outrages, attacks and censorship against the Church. They are facts that violate the basic principles of the rule of law”.
In the last two months, the regime of Ortega and Murillo undertook a repressive escalation against the Catholic Church that has left so far: two priests imprisoned, 18 nuns expelled from the country, two priests besieged, one of them now in jail at home and the closure of a dozen religious media.
