Nicaraguan police have detained another Catholic priest critical of the country’s government, two sources close to the church told Reuters on Monday, making him the latest priest to be the target of an increased crackdown on clergy in the country. .
Fernando Zamora, a priest who also performs administrative functions in the diocese of Siuna, in northern Nicaragua, was arrested on Sunday (9) in the capital Managua after attending a mass presided over by the country’s main Catholic leader, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, according to the sources.
It was not immediately clear what charges Zamora faces. The government and police did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Nicaragua’s Catholic Church is in the crosshairs of a five-year government campaign aimed at arresting or expelling priests and nuns from the country, as well as a wide-ranging money laundering investigation announced by authorities in late May that froze all church bank accounts.
The crackdown has intensified this year, with priests denouncing assaults and government surveillance of ceremonies.
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega accuses Catholic leaders of criminal activity, including an attempt to overthrow his government.
Zamora’s arrest joins those of four other priests already behind bars, including Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who in February was convicted and sentenced without trial to 26 years in prison for treason.
Source: CNN Brasil
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