Nicaragua Seizes Catholic University Over Terror Charges

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Facts

  • On Wednesday, the University of Central America (UCA) in Nicaragua announced the suspension of all classes and administrative activities after a criminal court ordered the Ortega-Murillo government to confiscate its property, buildings, and bank accounts.1
  • The announcement comes after Judge Gloria María Saavedra Corrales of the Tenth Criminal District Court of Hearings Managua District issued an official notice alleging that the UCA had become "a center of terrorism, organizing criminal groups."2
  • The 8K-student Catholic university reportedly served as a hub for the 2018 anti-government protests, which Pres. Daniel Ortega claims were a foreign-backed attempted coup to overthrow him.3
  • The Jesuit religious order based in El Salvador — which runs the UCA — rejected the allegations, calling the judicial notice "drastic, unexpected, and unfair" and stating that the university must be allowed to defend itself.4
  • Since February 2022, the Ortega administration has reportedly revoked the legal status of several private universities it claimed were used to promote dissent. It also placed many under state authority through the National Council of Universities.5
  • The UCA's seizure follows escalating tensions between Nicaragua and its Catholic Church. Earlier this year, the Vatican's embassy in the Central American country was closed after Pope Francis referred to Ortega's government as a dictatorship.6

Sources: 1Wall Street Journal, 2Divergentes, 3Associated Press, 4Reuters, 5Al Jazeera, and 6France 24.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Alliance for Global Justice. The UCA actively backed terrorists in the failed US-funded 2018 coup in Nicaragua, by launching an international campaign of fake news and fundraising while remaining silent about the violence carried out by the opposition. Such behavior is completely unacceptable for an institution that receives government funding.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Confidencial. The Ortega dictatorship has not only carried out a blatant violation of academic freedom by closing and confiscating UCA in revenge for their brave stance against the regime's crimes, but it has also committed an act of repression against the Catholic Church. The international community must halt these assaults on religious freedom and human rights.