Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez refused to leave Nicaragua with other political prisoners released on Thursday.
EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty ImagesProtest against the detention of Nicaraguan bishop and regime critic Bishop Rolando Alvarez.MEXICO CITY — A day after banishing most of its political prisoners to the United States, Nicaragua has sentenced a Catholic bishop to 26 years in prison.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez refused to leave with the rest of the 222 political prisoners flown to the U.S. on Thursday.According to media reports, he stopped at the stairs leading to the airplane and said,"Let the others be free. I will endure their punishment." Álvarez was arrested for opposing the government of President Daniel Ortega and his trial was set for next week. The bishop has called for free elections.
Instead, a judge appeared on state television and said the priest had been declared a traitor, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. He was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. Álvarez was best known for confronting security forces that surrounded his parish in the town of Matagalpa."Frightened and on my knees, only before God," he told them.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nicaraguan judge sentences Catholic bishop to 26 yearsA Nicaraguan judge sentenced Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez to 26 years in prison on Friday, a day after the prominent government critic refused to get on a flight to the United States with 222 other prisoners.
Read more »
Nicaraguan judge sentences Catholic bishop to 26 yearsRoman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez was arrested in August along with several other priests and lay people.
Read more »
Nicaraguan Catholic bishop sentenced to prison, stripped of citizenshipA Nicaraguan court sentenced Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez to a more than 26-year prison term on Friday, a day after the cleric and critic of President Daniel Ortega declined to be expelled to the United States as part of a prisoner release.
Read more »
Nicaraguan judge sentences Catholic bishop to 26 yearsThe sentenced handed down by the chief magistrate of the Managua appeals court is the longest given to any critic of the government of President Daniel Ortega over the last couple years.
Read more »
Nicaraguan bishop who refused exile gets 26 years in prisonRoman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, an outspoken critic of Nicaragua’s government, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, the latest move by President Daniel Ortega against the Catholic church and his opponents.
Read more »
PrintWatch: Red Goblin, Storm, Bishop, Once Upon A Time Get SecondsPrintWatch: Red Goblin, Storm & The Brotherhood Of Mutants, Bishop: War College, Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World and Comics For Choice get second or third printings.
Read more »