At a congressional hearing chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and exiled prisoners of conscience and their relatives made an urgent appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez—the only known cleric to remain incarcerated by Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega and his brutal regime.

            “Today we appeal to President Daniel Ortega—let imprisoned Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez go,” said Smith, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Human Rights. “Release him from prison.”

            “Bishop Álvarez is an innocent man enduring unspeakable suffering,” Smith said.  “His life and ministry have been an inspiring example of compassion, kindness, integrity, and selfless service.”

            “In his homilies he speaks of an enduring gratitude and ‘serenity in our hearts’ that ‘can only come from God,’” Smith continued. “He encourages us to ‘be convinced that everything is happening for our good, because God loves us and because we love him.’ He preaches love and forgiveness and ‘that Christ calls his disciples not to harbor resentment and to always forgive.’

            “He conveys hope, holiness, and humility to the people of Nicaragua—and the world,” Smith said.

            Smith’s hearing included compelling testimony from members of the Catholic Church from Nicaragua who have experienced the Ortega-Murillo regime’s oppression firsthand, including two exiled prisoners of conscience and the parent of another prisoner of conscience.

            “We were accused of being members of an organized crime gang and that the leaders were the bishops, and above all they said Rolando,” testified one of the prisoners of conscience. “I was interrogated and I was accused of giving hate speeches, of organizing an uprising. I was accused of undermining the dignity of the state and of Nicaragua, of spreading false news.”

            A second exiled prisoner of conscience recounted being kidnapped by the National Police of Nicaragua: “Our rights were violated because they did not tell us anything about the reason for our arrest, they stripped us naked, forced us to wear prison uniforms and transferred me to one of the cells. That same day the interrogations began, there were more than 30 interrogations, which could take place at any time of the day, even in the early hours of the morning.”

            “They blackmailed me and threatened the lives of my relatives, because they wanted me to declare that the Bishop was a member of an organization that wanted to promote a coup d'état against Daniel Ortega and that he received money from the US government and the European Union,” the prisoner continued.

            “As the dictatorship was opening trials for the kidnapped, they were being transferred to the Modelo prison, the Catholic Church made arrangements so that we could see them,” a parent of a prisoner of conscience testified. The visit took place in a large cell where there were many rusty iron bars, the condition of the cell was deplorable, very dirty. I saw my son tortured, his whole body was beaten and with many insect bites.”

            “Right next to us there were some young men maybe 15, 16 years old, you could see the tortures they had been subjected to. I remember that one of them lifted up his pants and showed me his calf, it had been burned with acid, he could not bend the fingers of his hands due to the tortures,” the parent added.

            Smith’s hearing comes as a follow-up to a hearing he chaired in March, when he called on the Biden Administration and Congress to “enter a new phase” in pressuring Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega and combatting his extreme crackdown on religious freedom and crimes against humanity.

            Just one day before Smith’s March hearing, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted he was “not tracking” Bishop Álvarez’s dire situation when asked at a White House press briefing.

            “The United States needs to act quickly and use every tool at our disposal,” said Smith. “The international community can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening to the people of Nicaragua—including and especially people of faith.”

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