Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega continues his crackdown on independent media and the opposition. This time, however, he went after radio stations belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. 

Authorities ordered the closure of six of these Catholic radio stations on Monday. One of these stations was even surrounded by riot police, according to the Associated Press.

Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Alvarez spoke about the closures during a Mass. He said he received a letter from state telecommunications agency Telcor informing him of the closures. He called the move an "injustice" and urged Telcor to show the legality of the decision.

Bishop Alvarez is one of the most well-known and outspoken critics of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. He has gone on a hunger strike for "police persecution" against him, as well as the release of political prisoners, including opposition leaders.

Church Denounces Government Raids

One of the Catholic radio stations raided by police and ordered to shut down is located in a parish house in Sebaco, which is 65 miles north of Managua. Church officials said police have occupied the house, with one of the priests, Fr. Uriel Vallejos, also an outspoken government critic, still inside.

The raid and takeover were swiftly denounced by the Diocese of Matagalpa. They released a statement saying they should not touch the priests, for if they did, it would be tantamount to touching the Diocese of Matagalpa.

As the government forces were taking over the church house and radio station, Vallejos called on the faithful to help protect him. He said that the police have broken the chapel's locks and had taken the equipment. He also said that the police also attacked the faithful inside the school next door.

The Ortega government has not commented on the raids.

READ MORE: Nicaragua Newspaper Staff Flee Country as Daniel Ortega Cracks Down on Independent Media

Nicaragua Continues Crackdown on Critics

The closure and raids on Catholic radio stations are just the latest act of suppression by the Nicaraguan government under Ortega. It has forced journalists and opposition leaders to flee the country after many of them were detained.

Ortega also ensured that no member of the opposition held any office, even mayors. Ortega directed police to raid towns held by opposition members and deposed their mayors. He then replaced them with members of his Sandinista National Liberation Front party. Currently, only members of that party and allied parties hold positions as mayors in local government.

The deposed mayors were part of the Citizens Alliance for Liberty Party (CXL). Their party leader, Kitty Monterrey, got her Nicaraguan citizenship revoked by Ortega and is now in exile in Costa Rica. Other opposition leaders have now fled to other nearby countries as well.

Police also continue to raid newspaper outlets. These raids and crackdowns have led the staff of one of Nicaragua's leading newspapers, La Prensa, to flee the country.

Ortega won his fourth consecutive term earlier this year. However, he won after jailing all potential opponents. The United States and European Union called his win "a farce." 

Nicaragua continues to be one of the poorest countries in the continent. Amnesty International has condemned the oppression of the opposition and the media.

READ MORE: Nicaragua Police Have Taken Over 5 Opposition-Held Towns Ahead of Elections

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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