Card. Brenes laments death of Nicaraguan protester

By Devin Watkins

Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua, lamented the death of a demonstrator on Saturday who was marching in a protest against the government.

Gunfire from suspected pro-government security forces killed Lenin Mendiola on Saturday. Two other protesters were injured at a separate rally in the capital, Managua.

Hundreds of Nicaraguans took part in demonstrations to demand the release of “political prisoners”.

Local leader’s son

Lenin Mendiola was the son of a local leader in Matagalpa. The Nicaraguan government denounced his death.

Cardinal Brenes expressed his sadness for the protester’s death at a press conference held on Sunday.

He said Mendiola’s death was especially regrettable since violence had appeared to diminish over the past week.

“I believe that a Nicaraguan who dies, no matter what their [political] tendency may be, is always painful for Nicaragua, and that is condemnable for all Nicaraguans. So, I send my prayers and closeness to the Mendiola family, back in Matagalpa, and also to this person from the countryside whom I saw riddled with bullets on television.”

National Dialogue

At the press conference, Cardinal Brenes said the Church is making every effort to reopen the National Dialogue as soon as possible.

“Hopefully, we’ll have some positive response [from the government] to get it back on track,” he told reporters.