The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have undertaken a true anti-Christian crusades in Nicaragua, attacking mainly the Catholic Church, although Protestant churches have not been spared from the anti-religious violence of the regime and, along with Catholicism, have been victims of confiscations, arbitrary imprisonments, banishments, stigmatizing campaigns and hate messages.
The Human Rights Collective Nicaraguas Never Again, in its Bulletin number 4, on freedom of worship in Nicaragua, points out that the situation that Christians are experiencing in the country, under the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship is one of “increasing, intense and systematic repression.”
The advocacy organization maintains that “multiple violations of religious freedom continue in Nicaragua, reflecting a panorama of increasing repression, with arbitrary arrests, direct attacks on religious leaders, stigmatization and hate messages in official statements regarding freedom of worship.”
The war against religion launched by Ortega and Murillo since 2018 has so far left at least 222 religious people exiled, including 91 nuns from different congregations.
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In addition, the agency has identified at least 52 religious persons and their relatives who have been left in a situation of “de facto statelessness.”
The Bulletin of the Collective of Defenders indicates that, so far, 21 evangelical pastors are known to remain in exile, forced by the religious persecution of the dictatorship, and another three pastors were prevented from entering the country, also forcing them into exile.
Direct attacks against religious leaders
According to information gathered by human rights defenders, the Sandinista regime has exiled 51 priests without prior trial, violating their rights to residence and freedom of movement in their own country.
Added to this is the imprisonment of 11 evangelical leaders of the Puerta de la Montaña church, who were accused of money laundering. They were found guilty in a trial without guarantees and without following due process and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years.
“This pattern of persecution has led to the expulsion and forced displacement of more than 200 religious persons and increased surveillance of activities carried out, especially in Catholic churches,” the report said.
Mass closure and confiscation of religious NGOs
The Nicaragua Never Again Collective has documented that since 2018, following social protests in which tens of thousands of Nicaraguans took to the streets to demand the end of the dictatorship and in which the Church decided to side with the people, the tyranny has ordered the cancellation and confiscation of assets of 3,781 Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), including hundreds linked to the Catholic and Evangelical churches.
In addition, they have closed and confiscated at least 22 religious media outlets. The most recent case is that of Radio Maria, whose last broadcast was on July 9 of this year.
The United Nations Group of Experts on Human Rights on Nicaragua (GHREN) has described violations of religious freedom in Nicaragua as “crimes against humanity” and has named dictator Daniel Ortega and vice-dictator Rosario Murillo as the main perpetrators.
