WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released this statement after the Nicaraguan government seized the prestigious University of Central America in Nicaragua (UCA), in its latest act against the Catholic Church and democratic norms.
“I am deeply disturbed by the Ortega regime’s forced seizure of the University of Central America in Nicaragua. This unacceptable move is the latest in a pattern of actions taken by President Ortega to further erode democratic values and restrict the freedom of religion in Nicaragua. UCA was one of the last remaining spaces for independent thought and respected scholarship in Nicaragua and now, it too is gone.
“Freedom of thought and expression must be indelible rights in any democracy and we must not accept that these fundamental freedoms are simply being stripped from Nicaraguans under the Ortega regime. I call on the Nicaraguan government to act in the best interest of its people and immediately restore UCA’s independence and secure the democratic rights of its citizens.”
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