The Vice President of Nicaragua defends the "patience" of the Police with the Bishop of Matagalpa

MADRID, 20 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Vice President of Nicaragua, Rosario Murillo, has justified the action of the National Police against Bishop Rolando Álvarez, of the Diocese of Matagalpa, after he allegedly waited "with patience, prudence, respect and a sense of responsibility" for some gesture from the religious.

The Police had already held Álvarez and several of his collaborators since August 4, but finally on Friday morning they launched an operation with the aim of "recovering normality" in Matagalpa.

Both the Police and Murillo have argued that there was no other response after there was no "positive communication" from the bishop. In this sense, the president's wife, Daniel Ortega, has pointed out that it is up to the security forces "to safeguard the peace, security and tranquility of Nicaraguan families," according to Channel 6.

Murillo explained that the Government is aware of what is happening and has defended the "culture of encounter", despite the fact that the action against Rolando Álvarez has led to criticism from organizations that defend Human Rights, including the UN.

The Ortega government accuses the Catholic Church of promoting the citizen mobilization that broke out in 2018 and in recent weeks has intensified the persecution of religious organizations and leaders.