Ortega regime releases Nicaraguan bishop from jail, then re-arrests him

Nicaragua's Ortega regime temporarily released Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez from prison on Monday amid negotiations between the government and the Catholic Church,  but re-arrested him on Wednesday after both sides failed to reach an agreement. 

The two sides were holding negotiations at the Catholic episcopal compound in Managua over Bishop Alvarez’s future, according to a diplomatic source who declined to be identified. Alvarez was released from prison on Monday night, church sources said. 

The source added that the talks included the possibility that the bishop might be expelled from the country. However, he said that if the priest refused to leave the Central American nation, he would be placed back in prison. 

However, the negotiations broke down on Wednesday after the two parties could not reach an agreement on the terms of his release, according to local media. As a result, Alvarez was sent back to prison. 

Last August, the regime arrested Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who led the Matagalpa diocese and a prominent critic of Ortega, after a two-week standoff with local police. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison after he refused to be expelled from the United States in February of this year.  

According to the police investigation, Alvarez is “organizing violent groups and inciting them to carry out acts of hate against the population … with the aim of destabilizing the Nicaraguan state.” 

The move comes as Nicaragua’s relationship with the Catholic church continues to deteriorate, despite it being the main religion in the country. Last year alone, three priests were arrested, 12 Catholic radio stations were cut off, and three Catholic TV channels were forced off the air.

The Ortega regime claims the groups receive funding from foreign interests that are conspiring to remove him from office.

In March, the Nicaraguan government cut off its ties with the Vatican after Pope Francis described the Nicaraguan government as a “crude dictatorship” led by an “unbalanced” president.