Bishop critical of the government in Nicaragua is accused of “conspiracy”

The bishop Nicaraguan Rolando Alvarezcritic of the government of Daniel Ortega and under house arrest since August, he was charged this Tuesday for the crimes of conspiracy and propagation of false news, a judicial body reported.

The 56-year-old bishop was accused “for the crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and propagation of false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the Nicaraguan State and society”, specified the Central Judicial Complex of Managua in a press release.

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The accusation was presented by the Public Ministry (prosecutor’s office) before a judge of the Managua Criminal District Courts, the note indicates.

The judge decided to keep the bishop under house arrest, appointed him a public defender and scheduled the first pre-trial hearing for January 10, 2023, the date of which has not yet been set.

Álvarez, bishop of the diocese of the northern department of Matagalpa, was transferred by the police to Managua on August 19 and placed under house arrest, after being held for two weeks inside his curia.

After his arrest, the police reported that the bishop, who is also a member of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua (CEN), was being investigated for trying to “destabilize the country”.

Along with the prelate, six other religious were also arrested in August, who were confined in a Managua jail, without the charges against them being officially known until now.

In a photo published this Tuesday by the official website El 19 Digital, Álvarez is seen sitting in a court chair.

It is the first time that he has been photographed since he was confined to a home in Managua, where he has been visited a few times by Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes and other priests.

This Tuesday, the prosecutor’s office also filed charges against the parish priest of the city of Sébaco (center) Uriel Antonio Vallejos, whom he declared “fugitive from justice” Y “He sent an official letter to INTERPOL (international police) for his capture”, indicates the note.

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The charges against Bishop Álvarez come amid the tense relations that the Catholic Church has had with the Ortega government since 2018, when the country was rocked by strong anti-government protests.

The president linked the demonstrations to a failed coup promoted by the opposition with the support of Washington, and accused the bishops of being accomplices in the plot.

This year the government expelled the apostolic nuncio, Waldemar Sommertagoutlawed the Missionaries of Charity Association, of the order of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and closed several Catholic media, including the television channel of the Episcopal Conference.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.