SW News: The United States has urged the Nicaraguan government to free Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa, who was imprisoned and stripped of his citizenship. A court sentenced him to 26 years in jail after finding him guilty of charges such as conspiracy and spreading fake news. This came after the prelate refused to join a group of 222 political prisoners who were freed and later deported to the USA last week.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price flayed the unjust incarceration of Bishop Alvarez saying, “We condemn this action by the government of Nicaragua and urge Bishop Alvarez’s immediate release.” He said last week’s prisoner release was a welcome step but “not a panacea for the many concerns we have with the Nicaraguan regime”.

According to persecution watchdog Open Door’s study, Churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, are labeled as destabilizing agents under the increasingly dictatorial government of President Daniel Ortega. Ortega became the country’s president in 1984, leaving office in 1990. He came back into the presidency in 2006 and has remained in power ever since. Over the years, Ortega has become increasingly dictatorial.

Christians are a frequent target for intimidation, surveillance, harassment, attack, arrest, abduction, legal prosecution and forced displacement. As churches speak out against the government for committing injustices, human rights violations, and interference with the country’s democratic processes, harassment against them, including their charity work, has progressively intensified since the mediating and humanitarian work of the Church in the protests of April 2018.

Before closing several of them, the government tightened regulations on charities and non-profit groups. Churches and universities have experienced financial cuts or legal issues in reprisal for public criticism of the government. Government opponents and protesters have been hampered by sporadic internet outages.

Although Nicaragua seemed to be one of the most stable nations in the region for a long time, the rule of law has been deteriorating there since 2018, and there has also been an increase in corruption and repression. There is discrimination everywhere and at all levels. The places where Christians are most frequently persecuted are Granada, Jinotega, Managua, Masaya, Jinotepe, Matagalpa, Estel, and León.