UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2019) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is monitoring with concern the situation in a Catholic Church in Nicaragua's city of Masaya where protesters launched a hunger strike and urges all parties to respect human rights and engage in dialogue, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Thursday.
"We have been following the developments in Masaya city, which is not far from Managua, and recent statements issued by the international community," Dujarric said. "The Secretary-General is concerned about the situation. He calls for full respect for human rights and the right to a peaceful assembly, and reiterates his long-standing call for good faith and dialogue."
On November 14, relatives to family members detained by the government as political prisoners declared a hunger strike in the San Miguel Arcangel Church in Masaya. According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the protesters were demanding the release of 130 individuals allegedly arrested during demonstrations in the country.
In response, the authorities sealed the church, cut off water and electricity to it and detained another group of opposition members who were trying to bring humanitarian aid to the protesters inside the compound. OHCHR also said that the arrested individuals had been accused of serious criminal charges.
