President Daniel Ortega gave the last blow to the Association of the Society of Jesus in Nicaragua by stripping it of its legal status and assets, according to a decree published in La Gaceta, that country’s official newspaper.
According to official information, the government ordered the dissolution of the religious order allegedly for not reporting financial statements in 2020, 2021 and 2022. As well as for not having renewed the board of directors that has expired since March 27, 2020.
The measure also entails the transfer of their property and real estate to the name of the State of Nicaragua, which will affect the Loyola and Central America schools, as well as the Fe y Alegría schools.
The decision comes just one week after the government of Daniel Ortega will order the confiscation of the Central American University (UCA), which had been administered by the religious order for more than 60 years and which will now be called the Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro National University.
As a result of this fact, the Association of Universities Entrusted to the Society of Jesus in Latin America (AUSJAL) issued a statement to express its rejection, considering that the UCA has been “slandered and harassed.”
“His denunciation of the events classified as crimes against humanity by the Group of Experts on Human Rights on Nicaragua, of the United Nations Organization, has been made victim of multiple and progressive attacks since 2018″, reviews the statement.
“The de facto confiscation of UCA assets It is a reprisal for the work that this institution has done in the search for a more just society, as well as for its commitment to protect the life, truth, and freedom of the Nicaraguan people,” he continues.
chain of attacks
On August 15, the government of Daniel Ortega opened a criminal case against the Central American University (UCA) for the political crime of “terrorism”. An action that teachers and student leaders have seen as retaliation for the participation of the institution in the rebellion of April 2018.
“We were notified of the seizure of real estate, furniture, money in national or foreign currency from immobilized bank accounts, financial products in national or foreign currency owned by the UCA,” the university authorities denounced in a statement.
Four days later, the confiscation of the Villa del Carmen residence was orderedwhere the nuns who work at the UCA live.
Police showed up at the residence to demand that the Jesuits vacate the property. Despite the fact that the property does not belong to the university, they had to go to Managua.
As denounced by AUSJAL, the UCA was unjustifiably denied certifications to fulfill its mission of educating, producing knowledge and social ties, as was the case with 27 other higher education centers whose assets were confiscated.
By being excluded from these bodies, the UCA lost access to the public budgetwhich affected the students who required this budget to finance their studies.
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See original article on BBC