An 80-year-old Catholic bishop has been detained after speaking about religious persecution, in the latest sign of Nicaragua's growing crackdown on the Church.

Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara, 80, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Estelí, was detained by National Police at the San Juan Clinic on 29 June and taken to El Chipote Maximum Security Prison in Managua before being released the same evening. He was detained again the following morning and held until the afternoon.

Meanwhile, on 30 June, Deacon Wilfred Aráuz Rodríguez, Fr Francisco Morales of La Cruz del Calvario Church, and Fr Rigoberto Delgadillo Sánchez of the Santuario Divino Niño Parish were also detained for around 12 hours. Witnesses reported that Aráuz Rodríguez, a deacon, was taken by local police accompanied by masked men.

According to persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Bishop Juan, who has a pacemaker and is a cancer survivor, had recently celebrated Mass in Estelí, during which he referred to religious persecution and highlighted cases of other clergy affected by state pressure.

CSW said its sources continue to report surveillance of churches and the presence of individuals monitoring homilies and prayers, with information allegedly passed to authorities.Since his release, the bishop has reportedly remained under police watch outside his home, raising concerns about ongoing restrictions on his movement.

CSW’s director of advocacy and Americas team leader Anna Lee Stangl said: "We call on the Nicaraguan authorities to cease their harassment of the bishop and his associates, including the ongoing surveillance of his home. We also call on the government to end its targeting of religious leaders who speak openly about the situation of human rights in the country, and to instead prioritise addressing the concerns they are sharing."

The organisation also reported 12 cases of arbitrary detention of churxh leaders in June alone.