Central America

Nicaraguan bishop critical of Ortega ordered to trial for ‘conspiracy’

January 11 | By AFP |

A Nicaraguan bishop who has been sharply critical of President Daniel Ortega’s government was ordered Tuesday to stand trial for charges of conspiracy and spreading false news.

Rolando Alvarez, a 56-year-old bishop from the northern Matagalpa department, has been held under house arrest since August in the capital Managua.

During the pre-trial hearing Tuesday, “evidence was admitted and the case was sent to trial,” the Managua court said in a press release, without specifying a date for the trial.

Alvarez was also ordered to remain under house arrest.

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Alvarez was taken into custody in late August and moved to the Central American country’s capital.

After his arrest, police said the bishop, who is a member of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference, was being investigated for trying to “destabilize the country.”

He was not charged until December, with prosecutors alleging Alvarez had committed “crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and propagation of false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the Nicaraguan state and society.”

Along with Alvarez, at least six other clergy members were also detained and remain in a Managua jail without any official charges against them.

The charges against Alvarez come amid tense relations between the Catholic Church and the Ortega government that began in 2018, when the country was rocked by huge anti-government protests.

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The president linked the demonstrations to a failed coup he said was being pushed by the opposition with the support of Washington and accused bishops of being complicit in the alleged plot.

Ortega’s government last year expelled apostolic nuncio Waldemar Sommertag, outlawed the Missionaries of Charity Association, of the order of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and closed several Catholic media, including the television channel of the Episcopal Conference.

Ortega, a 77-year-old former guerrilla, has governed Nicaragua since 2007, winning three successive reelections.

The last vote took place in November 2021 with Ortega’s main rivals in jail alongside dozens of other government opponents and critics.

In December, UN rights chief Volker Turk said that there was a “systematized effort to stifle opposition and dissent” in Nicaragua, while the White House in August condemned a “dramatic deterioration” of human rights in the country.

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Central America

Guatemala President Says Starlink Terminal Found Inside Prison

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo revealed on Tuesday that a Starlink terminal was discovered inside a prison in the country, highlighting corruption and the illegal introduction of advanced communication technology into the penitentiary system.

Arévalo did not specify which prison the device was found in but stressed that Starlink’s ability to connect directly to low-orbit satellites makes it particularly difficult to disrupt, posing a serious security risk.

The disclosure was made during a press conference attended by Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda and Defense Minister Henry Sáenz.

On January 6, specialized units of Guatemala’s National Civil Police (PNC), members of the Army and prison security personnel carried out Operation Sentinel at the Renovación 1 Maximum Security Prison for Men, located in Escuintla. According to the Interior Ministry, the operation aimed to reduce criminal activity, prevent illicit acts and stop the trafficking of prohibited items inside the prison.

During the operation, authorities also dismantled businesses operating near several prisons after detecting routers that were allegedly used to redirect internet signals into penitentiary facilities, according to local outlet Emisoras Unidas.

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Tensions escalated further over the weekend of January 17 and 18, when inmates affiliated with gangs staged riots in three prisons. During the unrest, they took prison guards and a psychologist hostage, demanding extra-large beds, air conditioning, transfers to other facilities and access to the internet.

Central America

Guatemala Police Arrest Prison Guard Caught in the Act of Extortion

Guatemala’s National Civil Police (PNC) arrested a suspected extortionist in the act during an operation carried out in the department of Quiché, authorities reported.

According to the police report, the arrest took place in Zone 1 of Santa Cruz del Quiché after officers responded to a citizen complaint. Agents from Precinct 71 identified the suspect as Encarnación “N”, 41, who was serving as a guard in the Guatemalan Penitentiary System.

The suspect was caught while attempting to collect a package simulating an extortion payment totaling 25,000 quetzales. Police intervened at the precise moment the money was being handed over, allowing authorities to document the crime in flagrante delicto.

Following the operation, the detainee was placed at the disposal of the competent courts to face criminal proceedings.

The PNC emphasized that such operations aim to dismantle criminal structures involved in extortion, regardless of whether those implicated are linked to state institutions, and urged the public to continue reporting these crimes through confidential channels.

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Central America

Honduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election

Conservative politician Nasry Asfura assumed the presidency of Honduras on Tuesday with an agenda closely aligned with the United States, a shift that could strain the country’s relationship with China as he seeks to confront the economic and security challenges facing the poorest and most violent nation in Central America.

Asfura’s rise to power, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, marks the end of four years of left-wing rule and secures Trump another regional ally amid the advance of conservative governments in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.

The 67-year-old former mayor and construction businessman was sworn in during an austere ceremony at the National Congress, following a tightly contested election marred by opposition allegations of fraud and Trump’s threat to cut U.S. aid if his preferred candidate did not prevail.

Grateful for Washington’s support, Asfura—who is of Palestinian descent—traveled to the United States to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to strengthen relations with our most important trading partner,” Asfura said after being declared the winner of the November 30 election by a narrow margin, following a tense vote count that lasted just over three weeks.