Protestant pastor and friends and family released from prison after six months arbitrary detention

A Protestant pastor and five of his friends and family members were released from prison after spending nearly six months in incommunicado detention in Granada Department, Nicaragua on 10 January.

Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas, the founder of La Roca de Nicaragua Church Association, his sister, two brothers-in-law, a member of the church worship team and a family friend were among a group of 20 political prisoners confirmed to have been released by the Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua in a statement issued on X.

The group were arbitrarily detained on 17 July 2025 in Jinotepe, Carazo Department as part of a coordinated police operation. Armed, uniformed police officers and ‘volunteer’ officers wearing masks and dressed in black or blue forced their way into the homes of Pastor Palacios Vargas, his sister Jéssica Palacios Vargas, and his brothers-in-law Pedro José López and Armando José Bermúdez Mojica. Mauricio Alonso Petri, a political activist and friend of the pastor, his adult son Mauricio Alonso Estrada, who is a part of the worship team at Pastor Palacios Vargas’ church were detained as well. Family friend Olga María Lara Rojas, a former political councillor who is a Protestant Christian but not a member of Pastor Palacios Vargas’ church, was also arrested at her home.

No arrest warrants were shown but all of those listed above were arrested and detained and reportedly taken to the 3rd Police District. The detainees’ mobile phones and other electronic devices were confiscated. No information as to their whereabouts was provided to the victims’ family members for all six months of their detention, in what amounted to enforced disappearance.

Pastor Rudy Palacios, Jéssica Palacios and Armando Bermúdez have been released into house arrest. CSW sources report that they are under surveillance and their movements are restricted. Olga Lara Rojas, Mauricio Alonso Estrada and Pedro José López have been released under ‘precautionary measures’ which require them to report to their local police stations to sign in on a regular basis. Mauricio Alonso Petri died in detention in August 2025.

Protestant pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López, who is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence on false charges, was not among the 20 political prisoners released on 10 January. Pastor Vílchez López has been imprisoned since May 2022 due to his public condemnation of the government’s use of violence against protesters during demonstrations in April 2018.

CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl 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 precautionary measures. Their release 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. We call on the international community to maintain pressure on the Ortega-Murillo regime to ensure human rights are upheld and that their crimes do not go unpunished.’