6/27/2025 Nicaragua (International Christian Concern) — After being detained by Nicaragua’s National Police on June 19, Father Pedro Abelardo Méndez Pérez has been reported missing for the last week. 

Forced disappearances are not uncommon in Nicaragua. More than a dozen political prisoners have been disappeared while in custody, with no information on their status or whereabouts. These disappearances are often used to hide evidence of abuse and intimidate family members. 

According to authorities, Méndez and his driver, Luis David Ñamendi Suárez, were drunk after they left a mass that Méndez had led in Granada. The two were detained because they allegedly posed a danger to the public. Méndez’s lawyer, Martha Patricia Molina, denied the allegations, stating “the priest did not even like to drink.” Even if Méndez had been drinking, he was not driving the vehicle.  

Making their case more suspicious, the two men’s names were not registered in the Online Case System of the Nicaraguan Judiciary, implying that there is no judicial case against them. Without due process and transparency, it’s unlikely that Méndez’s church and loved ones will hear anything about his status anytime soon. 

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