Protestant Pastor Freed After Six Months in Nicaraguan Detention

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

MANAGUA (Worthy News) – A Protestant pastor held in incommunicado detention for almost six months in Nicaragua has been released, Christians confirmed Thursday.

Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas was reportedly detained on July 17, 2025, in Jinotepe, in the Carazo Department, as part of a coordinated series of operations conducted by official police and masked “volunteers.”

Others arrested in the operation included his sister, Jéssica Palacios Vargas, his two brothers-in-law, Pedro José López and Armando José Bermúdez Mojica, and his friend and political activist Mauricio Alonso Petri, according to sources familiar with the situation.

FAMILY AND ASSOCIATES ARRESTED

Petri’s son, Mauricio Alonso Estrada, who is also a member of the worship team at Pastor Vargas’ church, was also arrested, as was Vargas family friend Olga María Lara Rojas, Christians said.

The Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua said Pastor Vargas, his family members, and Mauricio Alonso Estrada were among a group of 20 political prisoners released from their current form of detention on January 10.

However, Pastor Vargas, his sister, and Armando José Bermúdez Mojica are now under house arrest, Christians said. Their movements are reportedly restricted, and they live under surveillance.

SOME UNDER “PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES”

Elsewhere, Olga María Lara Rojas, Mauricio Alonso Estrada, and Pedro José López have been released under so-called “precautionary measures.” While free, they are required to report regularly to their local police stations.

“Tragically, Mauricio Alonso Petri died while still in detention in August,” Christians said. Anna Lee Stangl, director of advocacy and Americas team leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said.

“While we are grateful that these individuals will be reunited with some of their loved ones after nearly six months in incommunicado detention, neither Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas nor his friends and family members should be under house arrest or subjected to ‘precautionary measures,” the group added.

CSW URGES FULL FREEDOM

Their release, CSW warned, “does not undo the injustice committed against them. We call on the government of Nicaragua to grant them their full freedom without condition, and to immediately release all remaining political prisoners, including Pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López.”

CSW added it is calling on the international community to maintain pressure on the Ortega-Murillo regime to ensure human rights are upheld and that abuses do not go unpunished.

Pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López has been imprisoned since May 2022 for denouncing government violence against protesters in 2018. He is serving a 23-year sentence on what CSW describes as false charges.

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