MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua's government said Sunday that it had released a prominent Catholic bishop and 18 other clergy detained in President Daniel Ortega's crackdown and turned them over to Vatican authorities.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez and the other clergy were detained more than a year ago, in most cases as part of a crackdown by Ortega against the opposition and the Catholic Church. He had accused them of supporting massive civil protests in 2018, which he claimed were a conspiracy to topple him.
The government said in a news release that the releases were part of negotiations with the Vatican aimed at “enabling their travel to the Vatican.” In the past, imprisoned priests were quickly flown to Rome.
Ortega's government said those released Sunday included Bishop Isidoro Mora.
Ortega sent 222 prisoners to the United States in February as part of a deal brokered by the U.S. government and later stripped those prisoners of their citizenship.
Bishop Álvarez has been in prison for more than a year after being convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to 26 years in prison. One of the country's most outspoken clergymen had refused to board the February flight to the United States without an opportunity to consult with other bishops.
In October, Nicaragua released a dozen Catholic priests imprisoned on various charges and sent them to Rome under an agreement with the Vatican.
Since suppressing popular protests in 2018 demanding his resignation, Ortega's government has systematically silenced opposing voices and focused on the church, including seizing the prestigious Jesuit-run University of Central America in August.
Nicaragua's Congress, dominated by Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front, has ordered the closure of more than 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, including Mother Teresa's charity.