As the Ortega regime tightens its repressive grip on Nicaragua, religious persecution is at an all-time high. In a country with a majority Catholic population, the government has conducted a cutthroat campaign to silence its opponents, targeting religious orders, Catholic institutions, and media in addition to ordinary people of faith for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs. With everything and everyone that stands against the regime under threat, the state of human rights in Nicaragua is dire.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez, a leading figure in the fight for fundamental freedoms in Nicaragua, garnered international attention when he refused exile to stay with his people. For standing up to the regime’s abuses, the bishop was sentenced on February 10 to 26 years in prison. His “crime” was peacefully fulfilling his duties as a Catholic bishop. It is high time for international action to free Bishop Álvarez and put an end to the terror besieging the people of Nicaragua.
The persecution of Bishop Álvarez by the Nicaraguan government escalated last August, when police prevented him from leaving his residence to celebrate mass at the Matagalpa Cathedral. The bishop, along with seminarians, priests, and a cameraman, was forcibly detained for 15 days. Later in the month, he was arrested without a warrant. He was charged for “undermining national integrity” for preaching from the church pulpit on themes of God-given human dignity and denouncing the human rights violations perpetrated by the government against the Catholic Church, its faithful, and the people of Nicaragua.
Bishop Álvarez subsequently was stripped of his citizenship and convicted in a highly irregular trial, which he didn’t even know was happening and at which he therefore could not testify. Further, he was deprived of his lawyer of choice and his lawyer was later barred from accessing essential information about the case. The bishop’s conviction included charges for “propagation of false news through information and communication technologies,” “aggravated obstruction of functions,” and “disobedience of contempt for authority.” Clearly, this is a man the government of Nicaragua is intent on silencing.
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The bishop’s defense attempted to appeal the sham trial, but its efforts were rejected for further sham reasons. And such is the state of Nicaragua’s justice system. Bishop Álvarez has been imprisoned for seven months. The international community has questioned his well-being, and he is being deprived of contact with his family and lawyers, with the exception of a publicity stunt organized for state media.
Given the state of affairs in the country, there is no effective legal recourse available for Bishop Álvarez in Nicaragua. On September 12, in my capacity as legal counsel for Latin America with ADF International, I was honored to file the Bishop’s case at the Inter American Commission on Human Rights. As the Bishop languishes in jail under threat of continued and potentially life-threatening mistreatment, action from the commission—tasked with protecting and promoting human rights throughout Latin America—is essential for justice in his case. We are seeking an urgent response to the petition.
Religious freedom is a human right, worthy of the highest protection. No one should be punished at the hands of the state for their faith, and the unjust imprisonment of Bishop Álvarez is a direct violation of his fundamental right to religious freedom. Further, his conviction and imprisonment flies in the face of the right to free speech. Everyone should be able to speak their mind without fear of retaliation by the government.
The targeting of religious leaders sends a signal to all of society that religious expression will not be tolerated. Last month, a priest who prayed for Bishop Álvarez was arrested. Amid this relentless repression, those concerned with basic human rights should be outraged by the crisis being endured by people of faith in Nicaragua. For standing against tyranny and thus carrying out what was demanded of him as a leader within the Catholic clergy, Bishop Álvarez has been labeled a criminal and a traitor. He refused to abandon his people, and now let us not abandon him. The international community must act to free Bishop Álvarez and impose the requisite pressures on the Ortega regime to end its horrific abuses.
Kristina Hjelkrem serves as legal counsel for Latin America with ADF International, which has petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on the case of Nicaraguan bishop Rolando Álvarez.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.