On Thursday 15 September, the European Parliament called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Bishop Rolando Álvarez and those imprisoned with him since 19 August and “for all legal proceedings against them to be annulled, including their sentences”, in a resolution adopted by a very large majority (538 votes in favour, 16 against and 28 abstentions).
Deploring “an escalation in the repression” against the Catholic Church, political opposition, journalists, civil society and indigenous people, MEPs reiterate their demand that the EU sanction President Daniel Ortega, Nicaraguan judges and prosecutors and, given the circumstances, trigger the democracy clause in the EU-Nicaragua Association Agreement.
The European Parliament also condemns the sidelining of opposition political parties in the run-up to the municipal elections on 6 November.
After the closure of 100 NGOs in early September, the total number of NGOs closed in Nicaragua in 2022 is 1,850. According to the Special Follow-up Mechanism for Nicaragua (MESENI), more than 206 political prisoners have been detained in the country since April 2018.
See the European Parliament resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/349 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)