At least 13 priests, deacons and members of religious congregations have been illegally detained by the Nicaraguan government since the beginning of August in what has been the worst wave of persecution against the Church since the start of the year.
The recent arrests of 12 clergy members were reported by Nicaragua Nunca Más (Nicaragua Never More), a group founded by seven Nicaraguan human rights activists exiled in Costa Rica in 2019. It is reported that most of the detainees worked in the Diocese of Matagalpa, which is administered by Alvarez from exile.
