Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urges Nicaragua to report on the whereabouts of Bishop Abelardo Mata
Abelardo Mata, 80, was arrested on June 29 along with other church officials and officially released on July 4.
(Voz / Christian Camacho)
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) called on Nicaragua on Thursday to provide information on the whereabouts of Bishop Emeritus Abelardo Mata, a critic of the regime.
Mata, 80, was detained on June 29 along with other church officials, and officially released on July 4.
"Although on July 4 the Ministry of the Interior reported that the bishop was under 'investigation,' to date, there is no independent information available to verify his whereabouts or state of health, which is particularly serious given his age and preexisting health conditions," the IACHR warned.
The IACHR has a special monitoring mechanism for Nicaragua, one of the Latin American countries with the worst records regarding respect for human rights.
"The IACHR condemns the practice of concealing the fate of arbitrarily detained individuals as one of the most serious patterns of repression, which the regime has been using to silence critical voices," the statement explained.
The regional body notes that since 2018 "it has documented a systematic pattern of attacks against bishops, priests, religious figures, and laypeople" in Nicaragua.
LATEST
