Jan 12, 2026 / 16:21 pm (CNA).
The Nicaraguan dictatorship announced on Jan. 10 the release of “dozens of people” who were imprisoned following pressure from the United States and coinciding with the 19th anniversary of the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and “co-president,” Rosario Murillo.
In a brief statement on X, the Nicaraguan Interior Ministry said that on Saturday, Jan. 10, “dozens of people who were in the National Penitentiary System are returning to their homes and families.”
The dictatorship did not provide details about the released prisoners, but the Spanish EFE news agency was able to confirm with their families the release of seven opposition figures: Jessica Palacios, Mauricio Alonso, Mario Rodríguez Serrano, Pedro López, María José Rojas, Óscar Velásquez, and evangelical pastor Rudy Palacios.
According to the newspaper La Prensa, the local media outlet Divergentes reported the release of at least 30 political prisoners, while other media outlets reported a lower number.
“What happened in Venezuela has unleashed fear in the tyrannical government and hope in the people,” Arturo McFields Yescas, the former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
“It is interesting that a simple statement from the American embassy led to the release of … the prisoners in Nicaragua. This means that a little pressure from the United States can produce a lot of change,” the former diplomat commented from exile.
On Jan. 9, the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua posted the following message on X: “Venezuela took an important step toward peace by releasing a large number of political prisoners. In Nicaragua, more than 60 people remain unjustly detained or missing, including pastors, religious workers, the sick, and the elderly. Peace is only possible with freedom!”
The post was accompanied by the Spanish translation of a text from President Donald Trump on Truth Social in which he celebrated Venezuela’s release of “a large number of political prisoners as a sign of ‘seeking peace.’”
McFields said that this “demonstrated that President Trump’s words are accompanied by actions. What if there were a statement at the highest level? What could he do? Demand the release of all the prisoners. There is leverage that must be used, and the release of all the prisoners must be demanded now.”
The former diplomat emphasized that now among the people of Nicaragua, “there is a quiet hope that the dictators can fall at any moment. The timing is uncertain, but there is a certainty that they can fall. Before this, talking about the fall of a dictator was utopia, it was madness. But not anymore, now it’s a reality.”
“The dictatorship,” McFields continued, is reeling from those images “of Maduro, the all-powerful leader, arrested and humiliated. And those images have deeply affected the regime. The fear is so great that, although they have expressed solidarity with Maduro, they haven’t mentioned President Trump at any point.”
The former diplomat noted that “Ortega has been in power illegally for 19 years, [a period of] illegality and brutality, religious persecution, confiscation of churches, harassment of the church, destruction and desecration of churches — a horrendous situation that has been experienced in Nicaragua, but what happened today fills us with immense, immeasurable joy.”
What McFields said is similar to the Jan. 10 post on X by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
“Today, the brutal Murillo-Ortega dictatorship ‘celebrates’ 19 years of what should have been a five-year democratic term. Nicaraguans voted for a president in 2006, not for an illegitimate, lifelong dynasty. Rewriting the constitution and crushing dissent will not erase the aspirations of Nicaraguans to live free from tyranny,” it stated.
Historic mural of risen Christ restored in Nicaragua
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Managua reported that Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes attended the presentation of the completed restoration work on the historic mural of the risen Christ in St. Dominic Parish in the Nicaraguan capital.
“This Saturday morning, Jan. 10, Archbishop Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes received from the central government of Nicaragua the completed restoration work on the historic mural in St. Dominic Parish,” the archdiocese’s press release stated.
The work “was carried out under the supervision of the relevant authorities, as this structure is part of the nation’s cultural heritage.” The restoration consisted of “cleaning and reinforcing the entire structure, as well as reconstructing the image of the risen Christ, which accidentally collapsed in December 2024,” without causing any injuries.
The image — which has been in the church since its construction in 1968 and withstood the 1972 earthquake — had been weakened by the constant seismic activity in Managua.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.