Nicaragua: Persecution of church leaders is on the rise

The Nicaraguan government has increased the levels of harassment against many Catholic church leaders.

• 27 April 2022: The National Assembly, with a pro-government majority, approved a report in which it accuses the country’s bishops and priests of participating in an attempted coup and of expressing “hatred and viciousness” against government sympathizers. The legislative text recommends taking any church leaders who showed support for the 2018 demonstrations to court (with a view to imprisoning them). It is also recommended that Church property be confiscated (Asamblea Nacional, 27 April 2022).
• 16 May 2022: Father Harving Padilla of the San Juan Bautista parish church in Masaya reported that police were preventing anyone from entering or leaving the priest’s home since 14 May. On 15 May there was even a police presence in the church during the Sunday services (La Prensa, 16 May 2022).
• 18 May 2022: Father Uriel Vallejos, parish priest of the Divine Mercy Church of Sébaco (in Matagalpa) reported that police officers harassed him, took a series of photographs and demanded to see his personal documents when he was about to enter the Roman Catholic headquarters of the Apostolic Nunciature. Father Uriel has been constantly facing harassment since November 2021 when he criticized the lack of transparency in the elections (100%Noticias, 18 May 2022).
• 19 May 2022: Monsignor Rolando Álvarez Lagos, the Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa reported that police officers harassed him from morning to night on 19 May, even entering the home of his niece where he was having dinner. After the chief of police refused to give a formal explanation for the aggressive level of surveillance, Bishop Álvarez, who is one of the most critical Catholic voices against President Ortega’s regime, decided to go on a fast until he receives guarantees that the national police will respect his privacy and that of his relatives (100%Noticias, 19 May 2022). In retaliation, the government ordered Cable TV’s Channel 51, which is owned by the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua and headed by Bishop Álvarez, to be taken off the air (Swissinfo, 21 May 2022).
• 23 May 2022: Police officers prevented parishioners from entering the Sunday services being held in the churches in Matagalpa and Masaya where Bishop Álvarez and Father Padilla have taken refuge. The latter also reported that the police had closed off road access to his parish church and shut off the electricity supply periodically. And when he helped a Sunday altar boy to safety, the police tried to violently detain him, but he was able to shut the parish gate and avoid being captured” (100%Noticias, 21 May 2022).

World Watch Research analyst Rossana Ramirez comments: “In addition to the above incidents, the UN Human Rights Office published a report in May 2022 documenting how the Nicaraguan government has closed down 159 non-governmental organizations since 2018.  Now that Daniel Ortega has begun his new presidential term, the hunt has been stepped up against all critical voices who opposed his remaining in power. This new wave of persecution targets church leaders who have been denouncing the corruption, injustice, human right abuses and lack of democracy in the country. However, it also affects normal parishioners. Despite the constant intimidation, the Church remains strong and is reportedly more united than ever (Despacho 505, 23 May 2022).”