A report on human rights and non secular freedom in Nicaragua warns that situations within the central American state are persevering with to deteriorate.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which authored the report, mentioned it had recorded 222 circumstances of spiritual freedom violations in 2024, impacting 1000’s of individuals.
Probably the most prevalent subject raised was police management and oversight of spiritual actions within the nation.
The Nationwide Police have positioned a ban on conventional public marches, celebrated by each Catholics and Protestants, that mark the interpretation of the Bible into Spanish.
There have been circumstances of companies and different spiritual occasions being arbitrarily cancelled by the authorities.
Final 12 months additionally noticed the event of elevated oversight over spiritual leaders by the police.
As a “precautionary measure”, spiritual leaders are assigned a devoted police officer that they have to report to each week. They’re required to have their photograph taken and supply their weekly plan of actions to the officer.
Even those that adjust to these necessities are generally topic to further measures, corresponding to restrictions on the place they will journey. Many have been warned that they may face arrest or exile in the event that they fail to adjust to the regime.
The CSW report particularly raises plenty of regarding particular person circumstances.
Protestant Pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López is presently serving a 23-year sentence on “trumped up expenses” and is struggling extreme well being issues on account of his diabetes not being handled correctly.
Additionally talked about had been Catholic lay leaders Carmen María Sáenz Martínez and Lesbia del Socorro Gutiérrez Poveda, who had been arrested in August. They’ve been in custody for over six months, with no communications with the surface permitted and no proof of life given by the authorities.
Anna Lee Stangl, Director of Advocacy at CSW, mentioned, “Co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his spouse Rosario Murillo, and the Sandinista Nationwide Liberation Entrance, stay set on the eradication of unbiased civil society and anybody the regime perceives as a critic in Nicaragua.
“On condition that the federal government stays unresponsive to communications from the Group of American States and the United Nations, members of the worldwide group should search inventive methods to help and strengthen unbiased Nicaraguan voices each contained in the nation and in exile.
“We thank all those that proceed to bravely rise up for human rights and freedom of faith or perception in Nicaragua, and reiterate our continued solidarity with all these working for justice, freedom and democracy within the nation.”
Republished from Christian Right now UK.
