Lula to Request Release of Jailed Bishop from Ortega in Nicaragua

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced that he will personally lobby Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega to release Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who has been imprisoned in the Central American state. Alvarez, a vocal critic of Ortega, was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in February on charges that included treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news. Lula said the Nicaraguan president should have "the courage" to recognize that a mistake had been made.