Nicaraguan Bishop Slapped With 26-Year Sentence In Kangaroo Court
STR/AFP via Getty Images

News and Analysis

Nicaraguan Bishop Slapped With 26-Year Sentence In Kangaroo Court

Elyssa Koren

Everyone has the fundamental human right to live and speak the truth, and when repression hits, these are often the first liberties under attack. The right to freely speak one’s mind exposes repressive regimes for what they are, driving dictatorships to clamp down on free speech and the free exercise of religion. The crisis of human rights happening in Nicaragua today highlights this age-old trend in action. All who dare to speak out against the Ortega regime risk brutal silencing and punishing at the hands of the state, and one leader in particular, Bishop Rolando Álvarez, has garnered international attention for his steadfast fidelity to the truth. 

Nicaraguan Catholic bishop Rolando Alvarez prays at the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas church in Managua, on May 20, 2022. - Alvarez, a strong critic of Daniel Ortega's government, started on Thursday a hunger strike in protest against what he considers a persecution and police siege against him. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

STR/AFP via Getty Images

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