Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced on Feb 10 to 26 years and four months in prison, accused of being a “traitor to the homeland.” In recent days, authorities have not disclosed where he is being held.
The prelate, who refused to be deported along with 222 other political prisoners sent to the United States in a deal with the US State Department on Feb 9, is supposedly in a maximum security cell in the “La Modelo” prison.
However, his actual whereabouts are unclear.
“The physical and mental health conditions of Bishop Rolando Álvarez are unknown,” Nicaraguan lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, in a March 7 statement.