Nicaragua: another Nicaraguan priest was detained, according to reports he is the ninth in 2022

The priest exiled Nicaraguan Uriel Vallejos denounced this Friday that his colleague Enrique Martínez Gamboa was arrested by the National Police, which would raise the number of priests arrested so far this year to 9.

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In a message on Twitter, Vallejos stated that Martinez Gamboaparish priest of Saint Martha Churchin Managua, “it was kidnapped” on Thursday at 17:00 local time (23:00 GMT).

“The priests and the catholic church we demand liberation and an end to the persecution against the Church and the clergy. Justice, freedom and democracy”he added.

Yesterday at 5:00 pm, the Parish Priest of the Santa Martha Parish, Managua, was kidnapped. Father Enrique Martinez G.
The Priests and the Catholic Church, we demand the liberation and the cessation of the persecution against the Church and the clergy.
Justice, Freedom and Democ! pic.twitter.com/EnkgboF0DS

– Pbro Uriel Vallejos (@pbrourielv) October 14, 2022

In his complaint, Vallejos attached a video in which the detained priest appears haranguing a group of students outside the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) After finishing the so-called “Mother of All Marches” against the Government, on May 30, 2018, which was attacked by armed police and civilians, leaving eight dead.

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In the video, Martínez Gamboa asks the students who demonstrated against the President’s Executive Daniel Ortega “Don’t be cowardly” and shouts “Long live Nicaragua”, “Long live the mothers of those who fell on April 19 (April 2018)”, “Long live the doctors, the decent journalists”.

also yelled “out the murderous couple”, “were the miserable murderers”alluding to the Nicaraguan presidential couple, and then repeated seven times “outside”.

The National Police has neither confirmed nor denied the alleged arrest of the priest.

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The Human Rights Collective Nicaragua Never Again took note of the denunciation of the arrest of the priest Martinez Gamboaand noted that so far his whereabouts are unknown.

With this new arrest, the authorities raised the number of religious detained in the last six months to 9, including Rolando Alvarezbishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Esteli.

Two weeks ago, the president Ortega attacked the Catholic Church led by the pope Franciscoaccused her of not practicing democracy, of being a “dictatorship” and a “perfect tyranny” and of having used “their bishops in Nicaragua to carry out a coup d’état” against his government in the context of the demonstrations that broke out in April 2018 over controversial social security reforms.

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Bishop’s arrest Alvarez and the other eight priests, including Martínez Gamboa, is the most recent chapter of a particularly convulsive last year for the Catholic Church of Nicaragua with the Government of Ortega, who has branded “putschists” Y “terrorists” to the hierarchs.

Relations between the Sandinistas and the Nicaraguan Catholic Church have been marked by friction and mistrust in the last 43 years.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.