Authorities in Nicaragua have detained 80-year-old Catholic Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara along with three other Catholic clergy. According to the human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the detentions took place amid ongoing pressure on Christian communities and religious leaders in the country.
Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara, who previously led the Diocese of Estelí, was detained by officers of the National Police on June 29, according to inVictory.
According to CSW, he was initially taken to a maximum security prison in Managua, located about 200 kilometres from his home city. He was released later that evening but was detained again the following morning and held until 4:00 p.m.
Mata Guevara is regarded as one of the country’s most prominent critics of religious persecution in Nicaragua.
The following day, June 30, three more Catholic clergy were detained, Deacon Wilfred Arauz Rodríguez, Father Francisco Morales of La Cruz del Calvario Church, and Father Rigoberto Delgadillo Sánchez of the Santuario Divino Niño parish. All three reportedly spent about 12 hours in custody. According to human rights advocates, Arauz Rodríguez was detained by the local police chief accompanied by masked individuals.
Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua Silvio José Báez strongly condemned the authorities’ actions. In a post on the social media platform X, he said he was deeply outraged by the incident and described the attack on Bishop Mata Guevara as a sign of weakness and irrationality on the part of the ruling regime.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide also condemned the detentions. According to the organization, 12 cases of arbitrary detention involving Protestant and Catholic leaders were documented in Nicaragua during June alone.
Earlier this year, CSW published a report stating that Nicaraguan authorities committed 309 violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief against Christians during 2025.
The Government of Nicaragua, led by Co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, has faced repeated international criticism in recent years over human rights violations.
