Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States, affirmed that Bishop Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa (Nicaragua), must be released. Binken urged this during a hearing on the federal budget for 2024, which took place in the House of Representatives on 23 March. Thursday.
Blinken responded to a question from the Republican representative for Kansas, Jake Laturner, who recalled that Bishop Álvarez was sentenced to prison “for his courage in speaking out against the undemocratic persecution of the Ortega regime.”
Laturner pointed out that it is not known which Nicaraguan prison the bishop is in and that “his family cannot communicate with him right now.”
“Is Ambassador (Kevin) Sullivan in Managua taking any concrete action to secure the release of Bishop Álvarez? Is he familiar with the case?” the Republican representative asked.
“Yes, I am very familiar with the case,” replied the Secretary of State. “Our embassy (in Managua) is following this and I am following it. Our influence with the Nicaraguan government is limited, but we have made our conviction very clear that he must be released from prison,” he assured.
“It is very unfortunate that they have been expelled from their own country and that they cannot continue to live and work freely there, but at least I am glad that they are out of prison,” said the Secretary of State.
Laturner also referred to the 2022 Human Rights Report, from the Secretary of State, which compiles the excesses of the dictatorship in Nicaragua, such as unjustified arrests, torture, denial of fair trials and murders, among others; and which also describes the electoral processes that have kept Ortega in power since 2007.
A day earlier, Republican representative Christopher Smith denounced in the United States Congress that the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega “is at war” against religious freedom in Nicaragua and has targeted the Catholic Church.