This Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the dictatorship began the judicial process against Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí.
After keeping him under kidnapping since August, the regime announced that, in the Managua Criminal District Courts, an accusation filed by the Public Ministry against the monsignor was admitted for the crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity. and propagation of false news to the detriment of the Nicaraguan State and society.
Related news: Organization repudiates the “infamous” accusation against Monsignor Álvarez
The judicial authority also confirmed that the Catholic hierarch will not have a defender he trusts, but rather appointed one for him, at the same time that he was placed under house arrest and scheduled an initial hearing for January 10, 2023.
Accused in the same case is Father Uriel Antonio Vallejos, parish priest of the Divina Misericordia church in Sébaco and general director of the closed Canal y Radio Católica in that city, who went into exile after suffering a police siege in August. The dictatorship accuses him of being a fugitive from justice and sent an official letter to INTERPOL to capture him.
About a month ago, the regime removed Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa, from the house of his relatives, located in Managua, to transfer him to another house in the same capital, but guarded by people affiliated with the government, leaked sources judicial and religious media divergent.
The president of the Unión Democrática Renovadora (Unamos) and current political prisoner, Suyen Barahona, cIt was 18 months since she was held captive in one of the cells of the Directorate of Judicial Assistance (DAJ), known as “El Nuevo Chipote” in Managua.
Related news: Suyen Barahona turns 18 months kidnapped and with zero communication with her son
After more than 500 days in captivity, the also member of the Blue and White National Unit has only been able to be visited 12 times. The dictatorship has ignored the call from her family so that Barahona can communicate by telephone with her little son whom she has not seen since June 13 of last year
Relatives of the Nicaraguan sociologist and economist Oscar Rene Vargas They are concerned about the deterioration in the state of health of the political prisoner. His relatives point out that “he requires good medical attention to stay alive.”
Vargas, 77, has heart problems and a pacemaker was placed just seven months ago. The critic of the dictatorship was captured “with luxury of violence and aggressiveness” on November 22.
According to the digital mediumNicaragua Investigateshis relatives have urgently requested “to continue with the petitions to the Red Cross and Amnesty International and to all the organizations that defend human rights in defense of his health.”
The Nicaraguan justice system reduced the sentence from 30 to 25 years in prison that had been imposed on the femicide René Maltez Rivas, who stabbed to death the young medical student Cheyling Rachelly Munguía, 21, in June of last year.
Related news: Femicide sentence reduced René Maltez
The sentence modification was given by the magistrates of the Criminal Chamber of the Appeals Court of Masaya. The femicide’s lawyer argued that the judge did not take into account the mitigating factors in favor of her defendant, such as having admitted the facts and not having a criminal record.
The Public Ministry requested life imprisonmentfor Alfredo Antonio Lara Ortiz, 19, and Alison Yahoska Salgado Rugama, 18, he requested 60 years in prison for aggravated murder and 40 more for the crime of attempted rape against two sisters aged seven and 10 in Ciudad Belén .
The judge found them guilty on Tuesday, December 13, at the culmination of the criminal process.
The third accused for these same crimes is a 15-year-old teenager, Alison’s brother, who will be tried in a juvenile court. If found guilty, he would pay a maximum sentence of six years, as established by the Code for Children and Adolescents for minors who break the law.
