Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) chairs a joint congressional hearing with Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) on Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega's war against the Catholic Church and civil society.

          At a congressional hearing today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) called on the Biden Administration and Congress to “enter a new phase” in pressuring Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega and combatting his extreme anti-Catholic persecution and crimes against humanity, including his outrageous 26-year imprisonment of Bishop Rolondo Álvarez on trumped-up charges.

            Chaired by Smith, the House Foreign Affairs joint subcommittee hearing comes a day after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted he was “not tracking” Bishop Álvarez’s dire situation at a White House press briefing on Tuesday.

            “The extreme repression that the Ortega-Murillo regime is committing against the people of Nicaragua deserves even greater attention from the United States and our allies,” said Smith, who chaired a congressional hearing in 2021 on the plight of Nicaragua’s political prisoners and another in 2022 on the regime’s war against religious freedom.

            “Under President Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua has become a pariah dictatorship in league with other human rights abusers like Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, Iran, North Korea and the People’s Republic of China,” said Smith. “Ortega is waging a war against religious freedom, and he is targeting the Catholic Church as the single most important independent institution remaining in Nicaragua.”

            “We must work to ensure that President Ortega and his cronies are held accountable for their heinous crimes,” said Smith, who noted at least 37 prisoners remain unjustly incarcerated and grossly mistreated in Nicaragua today.

Smith's hearing included compelling testimony from former presidential candidates Felix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastián Chamorro—political prisoners who were expelled by Ortega to the US in February.

            Smith’s hearing included compelling testimony from Felix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastián Chamorro—political prisoners who were expelled by Ortega to the US in February—as well as notable human rights defender Bianca Jagger. It was entitled “The Ortega-Murillo Regime’s War Against the Catholic Church and Civil Society in Nicaragua: Bishop Álvarez, Political Prisoners, and Prisoners of Conscience.”

            Maradiaga, a former presidential candidate who was arrested by Ortega in 2021, said “I know from painful personal experience throughout my life, that dictatorships cannot be dismantled with timid methods. There are people in Nicaragua willing to fight peacefully for freedom, but we cannot do it alone.”

            “It is crucial to maintain pressure against those responsible of crimes, deaths and abuses,” said Chamorro, also a former presidential candidate who was kidnapped by police from his house in the middle of the night in front of his wife and daughter. “From this city shines the light of freedom, illuminating millions throughout the world who are still suffering from the chains of injustice.”

            “We must not be deceived by the so-called ‘release’ of the political prisoners, despite it being the first good news we have had in a long time,” said Jagger. “More sanctions are needed. This is not the time to make concessions.”

Notable human rights defender Bianca Jagger testifies at Smith's hearing. Jagger, concernedfor the safety and security of Bishop Álvarez, demanded the Ortega-Murillo regime to certify proof-of-life for Bishop Álvarez.

            Just last week, the Vatican announced it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua as Ortega’s crackdown on the Catholic Church continues to intensify. The regime has closed Catholic radio stations and universities, obstructed access to places of worship, and even banned public Way of the Cross processions this year. Bishops and priests, as well as worshippers, have been harassed and detained, and Mother Theresa’s order of nuns has been expelled.

          “We are inspired by the incredible faith and bravery of those, like Bishop Álvarez, who non-violently resist tyranny and refuse to give in to the demands of dictators,” Smith continued. “Bishop Álvarez has become a symbol of the Nicaraguan people’s struggle for freedom, but in return for his courage he has been unjustly sentenced to 26 years in one of Latin America’s most brutal prisons, La Modelo.”

            Jagger, concerned for the safety and security of Bishop Álvarez, demanded the Ortega-Murillo regime to certify proof-of-life for Bishop Álvarez.

            “We will continue to advocate for the unconditional release of Bishop Álvarez and the other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience who remain in Nicaragua,” Smith concluded.

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