The Ortega-Murillo regime took advantage of the darkness to imprison to Monsignor Rolando Álvarez at his family residence in Managua, after holding him for 16 days in the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa along with other priests and laity.
The operation was carried out at three in the morning this Friday when the officers broke into the headquarters to take with them eight people who were inside, including the religious leader, and leaving only the vicar Óscar Escoto in the curia, who , according to the Police, remained in “character of ecclesial authority and without any mobility restriction.”
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Relatives of the monsignor denounced that the repressive institution also arbitrarily raided the house of the bishop’s parents, located in Managua. Shortly after it was confirmed that the dictatorship had imposed de facto house arrest on the prelate, while the other seven people were locked up in the “El Nuevo Chipote” prison.
The Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes had the opportunity to visit and talk with Monsignor Rolando Alvarez in his family residence, where he was locked up by the dictatorship early this Friday. The Archdiocese of Managua and the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua pointed out that Monsignor’s health is deteriorating, although his “strong spirit and spirit.”
The Bishop of Matagalpa expressed to the Cardinal that he trusts “everyone’s prayer in the face of the difficult situation.” For its part, the Archdiocese reiterated its solidarity and closeness with the diocese, its bishop, the priests and laity who were being held; fact that he described as a “sad event” without referring to the assault on the curia and the imprisonment of the religious.
The cardinal said he hopes that “reason and understanding open the way to a solution.”
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The closure of Monsignor Rolando Alvarez and seven other people, including priests and lay people, urged the shows of solidarity from bishops of the region and Spain. The Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica, Peru, Cuba and Spain and various religious orders spoke about the situation and demanded, separately, “respect for religious freedom”, the freedom of priests and “all the Nicaraguan people” and asked ” wisdom and good sense in those responsible for ensuring a climate of peace and calm for the Nicaraguan people.
The Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) also alerted the international community about the situation and joined the prayer chain. In turn, Monsignor Silvio Báez denounced that “once again, the dictatorship once again overcame its own wickedness and diabolical spirit.” However, the Nicaraguan priest Edwin Román claimed that “enough of so much silence!” and he asked “those who have to show their faces”, to do so, because, otherwise, they commit a “sin of omission”.
Rodrigo Guerra Lopezsecretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, assured that “Pope Francis is super aware of all the events that occur in Nicaragua” and affirmed that the silence of the Vatican “does not mean inactivity or lack of decision and at the moment he sees fit will have an intervention.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, declared himself “very concerned” about the attack against Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, on whom the regime arbitrarily imposed “home shelter”. Guterres demanded that the regime of Daniel Ortega release all the people arbitrarily detained.
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For its part, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) denounced that the Police acted “defiantly and shamelessly.”
The organization indicated that the Police confessed to the crimes they are committing, through the press release issued on the case, by executing actions that absolutely violate any law and agreement, “and offensive to intelligence and rationality by assaulting the episcopal Curia, like common thieves».
The Nicaraguan Human Rights Collective Never Again agreed that the police carried out the operation “in the darkness of the early morning, hooded so as not to be recognized and remain unpunished.”
Daniel Ortega’s political party, FSLN, registered this Friday with the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) to participate in the disputed municipal elections scheduled for November 6.
The so-called “United Nicaragua Triunfa Alliance” was registered by the Sandinista deputy Edwin Castro in the company of representatives of the nine organizations and four political movements that go to the same polling place. Castro was, once again, “flanked” by his allies Jaime Morales Carazo and José Antonio Alvarado. The organization Urnas Abiertas denounced that the process is riddled with irregularities and Ortega’s party seeks to have absolute control in the 153 municipalities of the country.
