Written question asked by Lord Hylton on Monday, 17 July 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 31 July 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Monday, 31 July 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Rolando Álvarez

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament on 15 September 2022, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on 27 June relating to the treatment of Bishop Rolando Álvarez; and what discussions they have had with the government of Nicaragua concerning the re-arrest and imprisonment in that country of Bishop Rolando Álvarez and three other priests, and the holding of two others under house arrest.

Answer: On 28 June, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, Fiona Bruce MP, called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bishop Alvarez and all others wrongly deprived of their freedom in Nicaragua, naming Bishop Álvarez as a prisoner of conscience. The UK continues to call for the release of Bishop Álvarez and all political prisoners in Nicaragua, including in conversations with the Nicaraguan authorities in Managua. The increasing suppression of political rights and the detention and expulsion of opposition politicians, activists and members of the clergy are further evidence of the serious democratic crisis in Nicaragua.

Secondary information