USCIRF rejected the charges against the bishop, saying he was imprisoned for criticizing religious freedom conditions and was denied due process.
“While the release of the 222 political prisoners was a welcome gesture by the Nicaraguan government, it is not enough. The subsequent sentencing of Bishop Álvarez demonstrates that the regime’s campaign against the Catholic Church will not soon abate,” USCIRF commissioner Frank Wolf, a former member of Congress, said Tuesday. “The U.S. government should use every tool at their disposal to encourage the restoration of democracy and human rights in Nicaragua.”
USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan government agency, monitors global religious freedom issues and advises Congress, the U.S. State Department, and the president.
In the last five years, Nicaragua’s government under President Daniel Ortega has increasingly targeted the Catholic Church. Church leaders acted as mediators with foes of Ortega after massive 2018 protests, and Ortega has accused Catholic leaders of trying to overthrow him.
Bishop Álvarez was among nearly a dozen Catholic clergy and lay leaders arrested or imprisoned in 2022. Last year the government targeted clergy, eliminated Church-affiliated organizations, and put restrictions on religious observances.
His government has also taken action to repress Catholic radio and television stations. It has driven Catholic religious orders, including the Missionaries of Charity, from the country.