Nicaraguan authorities release 1,200 prisoners for Holy Week
Liberation of prisoners in Nicaragua. Photo: El 19 Digital
Nicaraguan authorities have released 1,200 prisoners serving sentences in criminal cases, timing the move to coincide with Holy Week. The report was published by the Religion Digital website.
Those released were allowed to leave prison under a so-called family cohabitation regime, meaning they may live at home under certain conditions. The decision was announced during an official ceremony held within the national prison system, including its largest facility, La Modelo, near Managua.
Interior Minister María Amelia Coronel Kinloch said the step was linked to the spiritual meaning of the Easter season. “Holy Week reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, of His Resurrection, and gives us the opportunity to begin a new life – one we must build better with each passing day,” she said, adding that April is regarded in the country as a “month of peace.”
At the same time, such measures have repeatedly drawn criticism. A number of civil society organizations argue that mass early releases of convicted offenders may contribute to rising crime. According to the authorities, more than 53,000 prisoners have been released in the country over the past ten years, and some of them later reoffended.
As the UOJ previously reported, the authorities in Nicaragua had earlier banned tourists from bringing Bibles into the country.
Read also
Shell hits UOC church in Kherson, rector’s wife injured
As a result of shelling, a side chapel was destroyed and the church dome was damaged at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kherson. There are also injured.
OCU accuses UOC-KP members of “crimes against canonical order”
The leadership of the OCU has asserted its exclusive right to the Kyiv Patriarchate brand and threatened punishment against Nikodym Kobzar and his associates.
Moldovan bishop tells UN of pressure on the Church
Speaking at the UN, Archbishop Markell said the authorities are putting pressure on the Orthodox Church of Moldova and threatening the seizure of churches.
UOC clergy deliver aid to frontline monasteries and parishes
Clergy of the Kyiv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church delivered aid to frontline monasteries and parishes that provide daily support to refugees and the needy.
Vinnytsia region bans religious processions and pilgrimages until December
Vinnytsia’s Defense Council has imposed strict restrictions on believers ahead of the Easter holidays.
Nicaraguan authorities release 1,200 prisoners for Holy Week
In Nicaragua, more than a thousand inmates were released from prison during Holy Week and sent home under a “family cohabitation” regime, with an appeal to begin a “new life.”