A Catholic priest critical of the Nicaraguan government has been arrested and held incommunicado after his driver was accused of drunkenness.
According to the government, Father Pedro Abelardo Méndez Pérez and his driver Luis David Ñamendi Suárez were stopped on 19 June at a police checkpoint. Both men were allegedly drunk and found to be over the limit.
There were arrested for the “crime of exposing people to danger, by threatening the security of people and their families, violating the Transit Law”.
Religious rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), has pointed out that, even if the accusations are true, Nicaraguan law stipulates that only the driver be arrested for such a crime. Furthermore, the law states that a person found to be drink driving in such a way may be held in custody for up to 12 hours. Father Pérez and his driver have not been heard from for over a week now.
This is not Father Pérez’s first brush with the authorities. He was threatened with violence in 2018 after criticising the government’s response to political unrest in which a number of people were killed.
In 2023 Father Pérez has also publicly called for the release of Bishop Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, who at the time was serving a 26-year prison sentence for treason. The bishop was subsequently exiled to the Vatican.
Religious freedom is increasingly under threat in Nicaragua. Pastors and church leaders are often subject to intensive surveillance and have been arbitrarily detained. Many are required to report weekly to the police and cannot leave their local area without government permission.
In some cases church leaders have been arrested and no news has been provided as to their status. In August last year two Catholic lay leaders were arrested. Nine months later they have not been heard from by their families and there is no proof that they are even alive.
Anna Lee Stangl, Director of Advocacy at CSW said, “Given that Father Pedro Abelardo Méndez Pérez was not driving, the Nicaraguan authorities had no grounds upon which to arrest him for supposedly violating the Transit Law. Even were the charges based in fact, the driver of the vehicle, Luis David Ñamendi Suárez, should only have been detained for a maximum of 12 hours.
“The Nicaraguan government must immediately release Father Pedro Abelardo Méndez Pérez and his driver. We urge the international community to increase pressure on the Nicaraguan government by using targeted sanctions against those responsible for violations of freedom of religion or belief, and to push for the release of all political prisoners.”
