A Nicaraguan court has sentenced a Roman Catholic bishop to more than 26 years in prison for alleged treason after he refused to be exiled to the United States.
Rolando Álvarez, who serves as bishop of the Matagalpa diocese in the country, received his sentence last Friday and was also fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, according to Reuters.
Among other charges, Álvarez was also convicted of undermining national integrity and spreading false news, the outlet reported.
Álvarez was among several priests and seminarians who were arrested last August when the Nicaraguan government clashed with Catholic Church clerics who have criticized the regime.
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Álvarez was among several priests and seminarians who were arrested last August as part of the Nicaraguan government. (STR via Getty Images)
Álvarez refused to join four other priests and 222 other political prisoners who were expelled to the United States last Thursday as part of a prisoner exchange with the US State Department, according to the Catholic News Agency.
The bishop said that he chose to remain in his country in protest against other Catholics who are being persecuted by the Nicaraguan government.
Nicaraguan citizens hold a demonstration in front of the San José Cathedral in Costa Rica to protest against the Nicaraguan government and the arrest of Nicaraguan bishop and regime critic Rolando Álvarez, in San José, on August 19, 2022. (EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty Images)
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega mocked the prisoners as “criminal mercenaries” working for foreign powers to undermine the country’s sovereignty, according to televised statements.
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Álvarez has since been transferred to La Modelo Tipitapa prison, according to the UK-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrives for the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 10, 2019. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Anna Lee Stangl, who serves as head of advocacy for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said that “we note that the option that the Nicaraguan government is supposedly offering these people to remain in prison in inhumane conditions or go into forced exile is something that no one should be forced to do. “. to make.”
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Silvio Báez, a high-ranking Nicaraguan bishop in exile in Miami, described the Nicaraguan government as a dictatorship and said that his treatment of Álvarez exhibited “irrational and unbridled hatred”.
He maintained that Álvarez has “moral superiority” and predicted his eventual release.
Ortega has alleged that Catholic leaders were involved in a plot to overthrow him, citing their role as mediators with protest groups following 2018 protests in the country that resulted in approximately 300 deaths.
A movement within Nicaragua sees Ortega as “anointed by God,” according to The Christian Post.
Pope Francis addressed the turmoil in Nicaragua during a recent speech in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Francis addressed the turmoil in Nicaragua during a recent speech in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
“I am closely following, with concern and pain, the situation in Nicaragua, which involves both individuals and institutions,” the pontiff said, according to Vatican News.
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“I would like to express my conviction and my hope that, through open and sincere dialogue, the foundations for a respectful and peaceful coexistence can still be found,” the Pope added.
