Bishop emeritus of Estelí, Monsignor Juan Abelardo Mata, has appeared in a report aired by TN8, a channel aligned with the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, after more than six weeks without verifiable information about his whereabouts. The prelate, aged 80, had been detained by the Nicaraguan police at the end of June.
The images, released after international organizations demanded information about his situation, show Mata walking around the estate where he resides and responding to questions from journalist Adolfo Pastrán. The interview does not address the circumstances of his detentions nor clarify the conditions in which he currently finds himself.
Mata states that he is well
“Thank you, I am well. I feel well,” the bishop affirms during the conversation. Mata describes his daily activity as “a monastic life” and explains that he dedicates his time “to silence, prayer, and intellectual work.”
The prelate also refers to his training as a professor of Sacred Scripture and notes that he continues studying. “Prayer helps a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot,” he states at another moment in the report.
Asked about his medical care, he responds that he receives regular check-ups and that there is no problem in that regard. His state of health had generated concern during the weeks when it was not possible to verify his whereabouts, among other reasons because he has a pacemaker implanted.
Mata also states that a brother and a niece have visited him. The report does not provide information about the conditions under which those visits took place or about the possibilities of access for other people to the residence.
No explanations about his detentions
The interview does not include questions about the detentions suffered by the bishop at the end of June. Nor does it address whether he was subjected to interrogations, where he remained during the following weeks, or whether he is currently under any measure of surveillance or restriction of movement.
The events began on June 28, when Mata celebrated Mass at the parish of the Cross of Calvary, in Estelí. During the celebration, he asked for prayers for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua and mentioned Bishop Rolando Álvarez and Father Frutos Valle.
The following day he was detained. He was subsequently transferred to his residence in Tisma, in the department of Masaya, where he remained under surveillance. On June 30 he was detained again, and since then it has not been possible to independently verify where he was located.
The Nicaraguan Ministry of the Interior stated on July 4 that Mata had returned to his home after an “inquiry” and that he was “in perfect condition.” During the following weeks, no images of the prelate were released, nor was there independent confirmation of his situation.
The IACHR had warned of a situation of “extreme gravity and urgency”
The broadcast by TN8 comes after the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requested the Inter-American Court to expand the provisional protection measures for Mata and four people in his entourage.
The IACHR considers that there is a situation of “extreme gravity and urgency” and risk of irreparable harm to their rights. The organization had already demanded in July that the Nicaraguan regime provide information about the bishop’s whereabouts, guarantees for his life and integrity, and his release if he was detained.
The claims regarding Mata also reached the United Nations. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, requested information about his situation after several weeks had passed without independent sources being able to verify where he was located.
Bishop of Estelí for three decades
Juan Abelardo Mata was appointed auxiliary bishop of Managua by Saint John Paul II in 1988 and assumed the diocese of Estelí in 1990. He remained at its head until Pope Francis accepted his resignation due to age in 2021.
During his episcopate, he maintained frequent public confrontations with the government of Daniel Ortega and denounced actions of the regime, especially during the political crisis that began in 2018. The IACHR granted him precautionary measures in 2021 after documenting threats and acts of harassment.
The appearance broadcast by TN8 provides the first public images of Mata since his detention. The report, however, does not provide information about what occurred during the weeks when his whereabouts were unknown, nor does it determine whether the bishop is currently subject to restrictions by the authorities.