NicaNotes: What was the Catholic Church’s role in the coup? Conclusion
Alliance for Global JusticeSep 25, 2019
On Wednesday, the University of Central America (UCA) in Nicaragua announced the suspension of all classes and administrative activities after a criminal court ordered the Ortega-Murillo government to confiscate its property, buildings, and bank accounts.
The announcement comes after Judge Gloria María Saavedra Corrales of the Tenth Criminal District Court of Hearings Managua District issued an official notice alleging that the UCA had become "a center of terrorism, organizing criminal groups."
The UCA actively backed terrorists in the failed US-funded 2018 coup in Nicaragua, by launching an international campaign of fake news and fundraising while remaining silent about the violence carried out by the opposition. Such behavior is completely unacceptable for an institution that receives government funding.
The Ortega dictatorship has not only carried out a blatant violation of academic freedom by closing and confiscating UCA in revenge for their brave stance against the regime's crimes, but it has also committed an act of repression against the Catholic Church. The international community must halt these assaults on religious freedom and human rights.