Ortega regime shuts down diocesan radio stations in Nicaragua

Nicaraguan police broke into Divine Mercy parish the night of August 1 in the town of Sébaco in the Diocese of Matagalpa to shut down one of the five Catholic radio stations ordered to be closed by the Daniel Ortega regime.

Aug 05, 2022

MATAGALPA: Nicaraguan police broke into Divine Mercy parish the night of August 1 in the town of Sébaco in the Diocese of Matagalpa to shut down one of the five Catholic radio stations ordered to be closed by the Daniel Ortega regime.

The parish broadcasted live on its Facebook, the arrival of the police at the parish doors as well as their entry by force.

The Catholic Channel in Sébaco also broadcasted live the police raid on the Infant Jesus of Prague chapel. The station reported that the officers fired shots into the air and launched tear gas canisters to drive away the people who came out to support Fr Uriel Vallejos, the director of the media outlet.

The Diocese of Matagalpa, whose bishop, Rolando Álvarez, is one of the most critical of the government, reported that the country’s regulatory agency, the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (TELCOR), notified him on Aug 1 of the closure of Radio Hermanos.

“At this time we have been informed that they have also closed Our Lady of Lourdes Radio in La Dalia, Our Lady of Fatima Radio in Rancho Grande, Radio Alliens in San Dionisio, and Mount Carmel Radio in Río Blanco,” the bishop announced in his statement.

“All our radio stations have been closed. But they won’t silence the Word of God. We will continue to report and denounce any situation that, like this one, continues to violate the freedom of speech and religion in Nicaragua,” said Bishop Alvarez.

On May 20, TELCOR eliminated the television channel of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference from its programming.

Bishop Álvarez, who is in charge of communications for the bishops’ conference and the Catholic Channel, said that what the government wants “is a mute Church that doesn’t announce the hope of the people” and doesn’t denounce “personal sin and structures of injustice.”

On July 6, the Ortega regime expelled 18 Missionaries of Charity from the country on the grounds the sisters had failed to comply with various government regulations for nonprofit organisations. -- CNA