Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Esteli, poses in Managua, Nicaragua, in May 2022 in front of the Catholic Church where he says he fled from the police.
(dpa) After the closure of several Catholic radio stations, the police in Nicaragua prevented an anti-government bishop from leaving his residence. According to his own statements, Rolando Álvarez wanted to say a mass in the Matagalpa Cathedral on Thursday.
However, officers with shields and batons blocked the open garage door, video footage showed. It was only on Monday that the authoritarian government of President Daniel Ortega had a number of church radio stations in the Central American country closed.
Álvarez blessed the police officers
“They are keeping us in the episcopal residence,” Álvarez said in one of several videos published on the Internet. At least eight officers and a police car were seen in the footage. Álvarez sang a religious song and gave his blessing to the police officers before the gate was closed from the inside.
Hours earlier, the bishop had prayed kneeling on the street in front of the residence, which was surrounded by the police, and invited the congregation to the mass. However, this was not approved, he said in the video.
EU condemned the closure of the radio stations
The ex-guerrilla Ortega has been taking massive action against political opponents and the free press for years. More than 350 people were killed in anti-government protests in 2018, and numerous opposition figures are in prison. Representatives of the Catholic Church are also repeatedly put under pressure.
The European Union condemned the closure of radio stations on Thursday. “The Nicaraguan authorities must end the repression and restore respect for human rights,” the statement said.