North Miami-Dade News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Chair of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, joined Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, in a hearing to denounce the reprehensible persecution of Catholic religious leaders in Nicaragua under the Ortega/Murillo regime.

"It is inconceivable that the Ortega regime dares to meddle with Bishop Álvarez and the Catholic Church," said Congresswoman Salazar. "This is a direct message to Murillo and Ortega: don't think you will get away with this. This man must be set free."

Congressman Chris Smith also held a hearing on the unjust persecution of Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa and the Catholic community in Nicaragua. Bishop Álvarez was imprisoned by the Ortega regime in August 2022 on false charges of "attempting against national integrity and spreading fake news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the State and Nicaraguan society." Since then, he has become a symbol of Catholic resistance to the tyranny of Ortega.

Among the witnesses at the hearing were two Catholic clergymen from Nicaragua, along with the father of another clergyman. To protect themselves from the brutality of the Ortega regime, the witnesses were forced to speak to the American people while hiding their identities. The other public witness was Deborah Ullmer, Regional Director of Programs for Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Democratic Institute.

Representative Salazar strongly reprimanded the Ortega regime as agents of evil in their war against the Catholic Church and urged dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to release Bishop Álvarez without forcing him into exile.

In the background, earlier this year, the Catholic Church published a report on the state of religious freedom in the world through its organization Aid to the Church in Need. The report shows that among the socialist tyrants of Latin America, the Ortega regime stands out for its willingness to persecute fellow citizens who profess the Christian faith.

Currently, Nicaragua is included among the Countries of Particular Concern by the Department of State. This list includes countries guilty of serious violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Although guilty of the same crimes, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) or the Sandinistas are not included in the list of Entities of Particular Concern, a similar list designed to identify organizations that suppress religious freedom. Congresswoman Salazar has recently called for the inclusion of the Sandinistas in this list.

The full hearing can be viewed here.

For more details on the hearing, click here.

To learn more, click on this link: https://salazar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresista-salazar-exige-al-regimen-satanico-de-ortegamurillo-que-libere-al