The persecution of religious figures in Nicaragua, particularly those of the Catholic Church, has intensified since the 2018 protests against President Daniel Ortega’s government. According to a recent report by Colectivo Nicaragua Nunca Mas, a human rights organization operating in exile from Costa Rica, the situation has reached unprecedented levels of severity.
The report reveals that more than 50 representatives of the Catholic Church, including 43 priests, have been banned from Nicaragua since 2018. This crackdown has resulted in the arbitrary detention of at least 74 religious figures and the stripping of nationality from 35 others. The organization describes this as “the greatest persecution in the country’s history” against churches, emphasizing that even during times of war, Nicaragua had never witnessed such a large-scale imprisonment of priests and persecution of religious men and women.
The Ortega government’s actions extend beyond the religious community. Since February 2023, approximately 450 people, including politicians, businesspeople, journalists, intellectuals, and human rights activists, have been expelled from Nicaragua and stripped of their nationality under accusations of “treason.”
This systematic repression stems from the government’s response to the 2018 protests, which Ortega, a 78-year-old former guerrilla, branded as an attempted coup allegedly promoted by the United States and supported by the religious community. The crackdown on these demonstrations resulted in over 300 deaths, according to United Nations reports.
Recent developments have further strained relations between Nicaragua and the Vatican. In March 2024, Pope Francis publicly referred to Ortega’s government as a “grotesque dictatorship,” leading to the closure of the Vatican’s embassy in Nicaragua the following month after the government suggested suspending diplomatic relations.
The international community has expressed growing concern over the human rights situation in Nicaragua. In April 2024, the United Nations Human Rights Council renewed for two years the mandates of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua and the reporting mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This decision followed a report released in March, which found reasonable grounds to believe that Nicaraguan authorities had committed crimes against humanity, including murder, imprisonment, torture, and persecution on political grounds.
As the situation continues to evolve, the plight of religious figures and other persecuted groups in Nicaragua remains a significant concern for human rights organizations and the international community alike.
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