Ortega's police seize Jesuit residence at the UCA in Managua

On Saturday afternoon, August 19, police officers and officials of the Judiciary seized the Villa Carmen residence where the Jesuit priests who oversaw the Central American University (UCA) live. The prestigious 63-year-old university was confiscated on August 16^th.

Sources close to the Church told CONFIDENCIAL that to no avail the members of the community showed the regime’s agents the documentation of the property, which is not owned by the UCA, but they were forced to leave the house, as well as most of their belongings.

Jesuits confirm eviction

The Central American Province of the Society of Jesus spoke out on the expulsion of the six Jesuit priests from their residence, located next to the UCA. They said the regime’s officials argued that said property “is now (like the confiscated UCA) also property of the State of Nicaragua.” They totally ignored the property deeds that the priests showed them.

“The six members of the community obeyed the orders of the authority and withdrew from the house,” said the Society of Jesus in a press release. “The evicted Jesuits are well in a safe place,” they added.

The Central American Province of the Society of Jesus “condemns this outrage and expresses its confidence that the Lord of History will continue to welcome the Jesuits of Nicaragua under his banner at this time,” they stated.

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Three days after the taking of the UCA

The seizure of the Jesuits’ home occurs three days after the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo confiscated the Central American University, based on a letter issued by Ortega judge Gloria María Saavedra Corrales, who accused —without presenting evidence— the university of the alleged crimes of terrorism, treason and conspiracy.

According to Ortega’s judge, during the 2018 civic protests, the UCA “functioned as a center of terrorism, taking advantage of the conditions created with lies, to raise the levels of violence and destruction, organizing armed and hooded criminal groups.”

Of all these accusations against the UCA, the Ortega judge did not present a single piece of evidence. Meanwhile, in a statement the Jesuit university described the accusations as “unfounded”.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times.