Nicaraguan police have detained a total of 12 priests over the past three days, with four more priests being detained on Saturday, according to a high-ranking member of the Catholic Church and local media.
President Daniel Ortega, who has been in power since 2007, has begun cracking down on the Catholic Church and political opponents in Nicaragua.
Priests Mikel Monterrey, Gerardo Rodriguez, Raul Zamora, and Monsignor Miguel Mantica were taken from their homes, with all of them being from the Archdiocese of Managua.
The Nicaraguan government and police did not respond to requests for comment, and La Prensa, one of the country’s last newspapers, also reported the arrests of the priests.
Two of the priests arrested on Saturday, Monterrey and Zamora, had opened their parish doors to students from universities that were attacked by the government in 2018.
In total, 12 priests and Bishop Isidro Mora have been arrested in recent days, with Bishop Rolando Alvarez also being arrested and sentenced to 26 years in prison in August 2022.
Since the 2018 protests, Ortega has accused priests of organizing themselves and orchestrating a coup, while the bishops had asked the president for justice for those who died during the protests and early elections.
Reporting by Ismael Lopez in San Jose, Costa Rica; Editing by Marguerita Choy
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