The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on Nicaragua’s government to account for Bishop Abelardo Mata Guevara, an 80-year-old Catholic prelate who has been missing since his detention on June 29 and remains in enforced disappearance.

Volker Türk issued the demand on July 22, stating he was “concerned by reports of repression against the Catholic Church and other religious denominations, including the lack of official information regarding the fate, whereabouts, and condition” of the bishop. The Nicaraguan regime has claimed that Mata is at home, but his actual location and condition remain unknown.

The Bishop’s Detention

Mata, the retired bishop of Estelí, was detained twice in late June by police. His first arrest came after he prayed during a Sunday Mass on June 28 for members of the Church facing persecution. The bishop suffers from multiple serious health conditions—diabetes, vision problems, and a heart condition for which he uses a pacemaker—raising humanitarian concerns about his welfare in custody.

Türk urged the Nicaraguan authorities to “release immediately all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained and to ensure that all those detained are treated with humanity and dignity in line with Nicaragua’s obligations under international human rights law.”

Broader Crackdown on Religious and Civil Freedoms

Mata’s detention is part of a wider campaign of political repression in Nicaragua. At least 46 people remain arbitrarily held on political grounds, according to human rights monitoring. The Nicaraguan dictatorship has revoked the credentials of several lawyers without legal justification or public explanation.

On July 19, Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega announced that no further elections would be held in the country, a declaration made during an event marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution. The ruling party exercises control over the National Assembly, municipalities, and regional councils.

Impact on Indigenous Communities

Beyond the detention of Church leaders and political prisoners, Nicaragua’s Indigenous territories face pressure from mining and extractive concessions granted without genuine consultation or the informed consent of Indigenous peoples, according to the rights commissioner’s report.

The detention of Bishop Mata reflects the Church’s vulnerability in a country where religious practice has become a target of state interference. Pope Leo XIV has emphasized the importance of religious freedom and dialogue as essential to peace and the common good, themes that take on urgent meaning as Catholic leaders face persecution.