The Nicaraguan government of President Daniel Ortega has been called to act following the forced disappearance of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara.
Mata, 80, is bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Estelí. He has previously survived cancer and has a pacemaker, prompting concerns about his health.
Although he retired in 2020, Bishop Mata’s arrest is believed to have been prompted by his presence at a mass in June in which he offered prayers for the persecuted church in Nicaragua.
According to Open Doors, Nicaragua is the 32nd worst persecutor of Christians in the world, with the situation having deteriorated significantly since 2018 when there were a series of anti-government protests.
Bishop Mata was reportedly arrested on 29 June but was, according to the authorities who arrested him, returned to his home on 4 July where he apparently remains under guard. Supporters of the bishop are concerned he remains under surveillance and subject to movement restrictions. There are fears he may not be at his home at all.
There are conflicting reports about why Nicaraguan authorities arrested the bishop. Some reports state it was due to his remarks at the mass, while others cite concerns about the “origin of properties and family ties inconsistent with his status as a priest”.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has said it is “concerned” about the arrest of Bishop Mata, adding that it “condemns the practice of hiding the whereabouts of individuals who have been subjected to arbitrary arrests as one of the most serious patterns of repression in Nicaragua”.
Exiled Nicaraguan lawyer and activist Martha Patricia Molina also condemned the arrest, telling ACI Prensa, “The forced disappearance of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata is a serious matter; this constitutes a crime against humanity committed by agents of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship. He has been missing for 19 days, and the co-dictators have not made any further statements on the matter,”
Molina noted that claims the bishop has been returned home remain unproven.
“No one in his circle has any news of him, and concern among the laity and the Catholic Church in general is even greater due to the medical conditions he suffers from, conditions that are almost certainly not being treated properly," she said.
