NICARAGUA
Legal framework on freedom of religion and actual application
On 30 January 2025, the National Assembly approved a constitutional reform that changed the clauses to religious freedom.[1] The final text was published in February 2025.[2]
According to the Preamble, the National Constitutional Assembly promulgated the constitution in the name of the people of Nicaragua and – among others – “the Christians, who based on their faith in God are committed to, and involved in, the fight for the liberation of the oppressed”.[3]
Article 3 of the constitution establishes that the Nicaraguan State is based on Christian values, while Article 11 ensures “freedom of worship, faith and religious practice, in strict separation between the State and the churches”.[4]
In its foreign policy, Nicaragua prohibits “all forms of political, military, economic, cultural, or religious aggression, as well as interference in the internal affairs of other States” (Article 12).[5]
The nation’s principles include the recognition of indigenous peoples and Nicaraguans of African descent (Article 7).[6] A law enacted in August 2021 penalises discrimination against members of these groups and encourages them to seek positions in the public sector and administration.[7]
Article 21 of the constitution states that the State is secular and reiterates the assurance of “freedom of worship, faith and religious practice, in strict separation between the State and the churches”. It adds that “under the protection of religion, no person or organisation may engage in any activity which impinges on public order”. The article further stipulates that religious organisations must be free from any form of foreign control. Article 63 affirms that all people have the individual and collective right to express their religious beliefs in public and in private, provided they respect the fundamental principles established by the constitution.[8]
Article 113 stipulates that “Education in Nicaragua is secular”; nevertheless, the constitution guarantees the right of private religious education centres to teach religion as an extracurricular subject.[9]
Communities on the Caribbean coast are guaranteed a high level of autonomy to develop in accordance with their own historical and cultural traditions. Article 166 guarantees their right to preserve “their cultures, languages, traditions and customs”. A previous reference to religion was removed in the constitutional reform.[10]
In November 2021, the position of Dean of the Diplomatic Corps – historically occupied by the Apostolic Nuncio – was abolished.[11]
In 2022, a general law[12] was passed to regulate and control non-profit organisations, including religious and charitable organisations.[13] Displaying political propaganda in or on churches and other places of worship is prohibited.[14]
Nicaragua is a signatory to the Pact of San José, Costa Rica, which recognises freedom of conscience and religion (Article 12).[15]
Legal changes that criminalise religious freedom
There have been developments in legislation that run counter to freedom of religion and belief. In February 2023, the “Special Law to Regulate the Loss of Nicaraguan Nationality” (Law No. 1145) was published. The law permits the revocation of nationality from individuals declared traitors to the fatherland under Law No. 1055 (“Law for the Defence of the Rights of the People to Independence, Sovereignty, and Self-determination for Peace”, enacted in 2020). [16] All 222 political prisoners deported to the United States in February 2023 – including several religious leaders – and the 135 people sent to Guatemala in September 2024, were stripped of their nationality through the application of this law.[17]
That same year, the Regulation of the General Law for the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organisations was published. It imposes coercive measures, and political oversight mechanisms, and permits the revocation of legal status of civil society and religious organisations, either directly through government orders, or indirectly through excessive bureaucracy that leads to “voluntary dissolution.” By May 2023, 43 NGOs had opted for “voluntary dissolution”.[18] The law was criticised as unconstitutional, for failing to provide guarantees of due process and for violating fundamental rights and freedoms. Between April 2018 and December 2022 more than 3,000 NGOs in Nicaragua were closed. In August 2024, the government cancelled the legal personality of an additional 1,500 organisations – one third of which were religious.[19]
In July 2023, a law reforming the police force was approved[20] and it classifies failure to comply with superior orders “to the detriment of public safety” as a crime punishable by at least six months in prison, and abandonment of service as “desertion”, punishable by two to three years in prison. This reflects a governmental attempt to control the police forces and gives it the tools to persecute and repress dissidents within the force.[21]
The law on NGOs has also affected journalism, since many news outlets were registered as non-profit organisations, often funded from overseas.[22] Meanwhile, a law on cybercrime has enabled the government to accuse and arrest opposition activists and journalists for spreading “fake news” on social media.[23] According to Amnesty International, the use of these laws has justified the confiscation of the assets of Churches and NGOs, as well as the criminalisation of religious services.[24]
The process by which Churches and civil society organisations can obtain legal status is controlled by the Ministry of the Interior, which can bestow or revoke said status. This centralisation of power may be used to discriminate against or restrict the formation of new religious organisations that do not align with government policies.[25]
The Law for the Regulation of Partnerships and Alliances of Foreign Agents, passed in 2020, requires all individuals or organisations receiving foreign funding to register with the Ministry of the Interior as foreign agents. This includes religious organisations dependent on international donations.[26] Foreign agents are forbidden from intervening in domestic or foreign policy matters, thereby limiting the ability of religious organisations to express opinions or engage in public debate.[27] Non-compliance can lead to suspension of activities,[28] considerable fines [29] and seizure of funds and assets.[30] These penalties significantly affect the autonomy of religious organisations and their ability to operate freely.[31]
In August 2024, certain provisions of the Tax Law were repealed, including the exemption from income tax “for churches, denominations, confessions and religious foundations that have legal status, with regard to their income from activities and property intended exclusively for religious purposes”. This change placed Churches and religious denominations under the control of the tax authorities and obliged them to pay between 10 and 30 percent income tax. This applies to alms, offerings and donations, under a taxation regime similar to that applied to the private sector.[32]
These legal reforms compel non-profit organisations to work with state institutions, as all international cooperation now requires government approval and authorisation, giving the state control over resources.[33]
Incidents and developments
Attacks and violations of religious freedom documented in previous editions of this report continued in 2023 and 2024. The rise in religious persecution has been condemned by international organisations and by human rights NGOs, including: the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which expressed its concern over ongoing persecution, arbitrary detentions and repression;[34] the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which identified Nicaragua as one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom in its 2024 report;[35] the “Nicaragua Nunca Más” Human Rights Collective, which denounced the persecution of the Catholic Church and its members through arbitrary detention of priests and of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, freezing of bank accounts, harassment, assault, forced displacement and damage to religious.[36]
Arbitrary arrests and abductions of religious
The non-governmental organisation Nicaragua Nunca Más Collective[37], along with lawyer Martha Patrícia Molina Montenegro (now in exile in the United States)[38] and the organisation Monitoreo Azul y Blanco (Blue and White Monitoring),[39] have been documenting facts that expose repression, human rights violations and religious persecution under the Ortega regime. During the period under review, human rights organisations reported numerous arrests they classified as arbitrary, as well as other repressive acts carried out against religious figures. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stated that arrests without court orders or formal charges continued, with the authorities withholding information about the situation or location of the detainees.[40] According to a report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), there were 46 cases of arbitrary detention of religious leaders in 2024.[41] A document published by Martha Molina reported that the regime abducted a total of 20 priests, seminarians and bishops between August 2022 and January 2024.[42]
In February 2023, the UN Human Rights Council published a report on the human rights situation in Nicaragua, denouncing arbitrary detentions and unjust convictions. One such case was that of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, who was arrested on 19 August 2022 after police entered his chancery by force. In February 2023, he refused to board a plane taking 222 other individuals into exile and was sentenced to 26 years in prison.[43] Three lay collaborators were also arrested in connection with the bishop.[44] Martha Molina reported that one of them, Mariví Andino, was transferred to a prison where torture is commonly used. Another, 60-year-old Julio Berríos, was reportedly incarcerated without access to medical care despite suffering from serious and chronic illness.[45] A priest, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that lay collaborators of the Church were subjected to constant psychological torture while being detained.[46]
In May 2023, the Nicaragua Nunca Más Human Rights Collective criticised the arbitrary detention of Fr Eugenio Pastor Rodríguez, Fr Leonardo Guevara and Fr Jaime Montesino.[47]
In January 2024 Mexican priest Fr Ezequiel Buenfil Batún was abducted by the police.[48] In the same month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement requesting urgent information on the whereabouts of Bishop Isidoro Mora, who had been forcefully disappeared in December 2023 after publicly praying for his imprisoned fellow bishop, Rolando Alvarez.[49] In July 2024, Fr Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón, Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, was arrested, interrogated and placed under surveillance.[50] In November 2024, the government arrested and exiled Bishop Carlos Herrera, President of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference,[51] and ordered all religious sisters to leave the country by the end of the year.[52]
The Nicaragua Nunca Más Collective reported that at least 65 religious leaders from various denominations have faced legal charges since the Ortega-Murillo regime declared them to be enemies in April 2018.[53] Other NGOs have pointed to judicial irregularities, noting that the accused were held incommunicado.[54]
Violations of fundamental rights
There is no lack of examples of violations of freedom of religion and belief, as well as other fundamental rights. Police questioned and recorded pilgrims heading to the National Shrine of the Virgin of Cuapa, preventing them from reaching their destination.[55] Faithful in the municipality of Masatepe were prevented from celebrating All Souls Day.[56] Fr Jalder Hernández, who had been serving in the United States, was refused re-entry to Nicaragua. According to exiled lawyer Martha, the same had happened to another priest who asked to remain anonymous for fear of persecution.[57]
The Monitoreo Azul y Blanco organisation said that four young people from the city of Léon were arrested during Holy Week 2024 for participating in a religious event. The organisation registered 23 incidents of human rights and freedom of religion violations during Holy Week, mostly involving harassment of parishioners during Masses or processions, including the presence of paramilitaries monitoring the faithful.[58]
On 10 August 2024, the regime arrested two laywomen who remain in detention: Lesbia Gutiérrez, former coordinator of an NGO providing loans to small producers, and Carmen María Sáenz, who had been working on annulment cases. Their families have received no information on their whereabouts.[59]
Regarding religious practice in public spaces, in 2023 the government prohibited Holy Week processions, forcing the Church to celebrate its rites indoors.[60] In 2024, authorities banned 4,800 Lent and Holy Week processions, although some parishes organised processions around church buildings. City councils – all controlled by the regime – organised their own religious activities without the participation of the Catholic Church.[61] In 2025, street processions were banned for the third consecutive year, and media reported that the government planned to deploy 14,000 police to prevent Holy Week processions.[62]
In addition to the prohibition of public religious activities, witnesses describe surveillance, harassment and threats by state agents inside and outside churches, targeting clergy, laypeople, and even children.[63] Priests must report to the police weekly to request authorisation for their religious activities.[64]
Vandalism, harassment and damages
During the period under review, there were various incidents of church vandalism and harassment by state authorities, including theft, destruction of liturgical items, and harassment of clergy and parishioners in the vicinity of churches, among others.
According to the 2024 Report by Martha Molina, there were 321 cases of hostility and persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua in 2023, falling to 117 cases in 2024. Although this might appear to represent a decrease in religious intolerance, the report attributes the decline to fear of reporting. Since 2018, this persecution has taken the form of attacks, sieges, restrictions, prohibitions, bans and acts of terrorism against places of worship; thefts, desecrations, repression of lay people, graffiti and hate messages, and the closure of non-profit organisations, media outlets, charities and the confiscation of assets.[65]
Expulsions, exile, arbitrary deportations and cancellations of legal status
Bishops Rolando Álvarez and Isidoro Mora, arrested in 2022 and in 2023 respectively, were released in January 2024[66] and expelled from the country, along with 15 priests and two seminarians who had been missing and held as political prisoners.[67] The authorities claimed that the deportations took place after “respectful and discreet coordination” with the Vatican.[68] In November 2024, the President of the Bishops’ Conference, Carlos Herrera,[69] was also expelled. A few days later, three members of the Order of the Holy Saviour, which has since been disbanded, including the Mexican priest Fr Ezequiel Buenfil Batún,[70] were exiled. To date, four members of the Bishops’ Conference have been forced out of the country.[71]
According to some reports, at least 50[72] priests and religious have been expelled from Nicaragua, while other sources place the figure as high as 97. This total includes those prevented from returning after time abroad for studies, medical treatment, family visits or religious events.[73] All accounts agree that the country has lost a large number of priests through removal, exile, denial of entry or expulsions, in addition to those who have been detained or have died. Some estimates put the number above 200 when including imprisoned,[74] leaving parishes without pastors and depriving the faithful of the sacraments, directly affecting their ability to practise their religion.[75]
Many religious have been forced into exile following the revocation of the legal status of the institutions to which they belong. During the period under review, hundreds of religious entities and organisations were arbitrarily dissolved and compelled to cease their activities.[76] These include, among others, the Consecrated Missionaries of the Holy Saviour;[77] the Sisters of Charity Foundation – Nicaragua;[78] Caritas Matagalpa, one of the headquarters of the organisation that runs the Church’s charitable outreach;[79] and the Moravian Church of Mosquitia.[80] In January 2025, more than 30 Sisters from the Order of Saint Clare had their legal status revoked and were removed from three convents; their whereabouts remain unknown.[81]
Generally, cancellations occur due to the failure to submit financial statements or because of outdated board minutes.[82]
Confiscation of assets
Another form of persecution has been the confiscation of real estate and assets belonging to religious entities, including universities, residences, monasteries, retirement homes and schools. Between 2022 and 2023, around 15 properties were confiscated from the Catholic Church.[83] In May 2023, the government “ordered the freezing of bank accounts of the Nicaraguan Catholic Church, accusing it of ‘money laundering’”.[84]
In January 2024, the Ortega regime transferred all properties owned by the government of Taiwan in Nicaragua – including those donated to the Catholic Church[85] – to the Government of China. In April of the same year, the bank accounts of Radio Maria were closed, reportedly on government orders.[86] In January 2025, the Police and Public Prosecutors Office evicted and seized the Cartuja Diocesan Pastoral Centre and the Major Philosophical Seminary of San Luis de Gonzaga, both in the Diocese of Matagalpa.[87] That same month, state agents removed all furniture, religious items and other goods from the Bishops’ Curia in Matagalpa – which had also been confiscated and occupied by the National Police – to an unknown location.[88]
The Diocese of Matagalpa has been the most severely affected by persecution. Its bishop, Rolando Álvarez, and 14 priests were deported, a further nine were forced into exile, four were denied re-entry after travelling abroad, and two were expelled. All the diocese’s communication services were also closed, including a television station and nine radio stations.[89]
Evangelical churches
The regime has used Churches for propaganda purposes until they no longer serve its interests. Some Evangelical Churches expressed support for the government, and pastors publicly thanked it for protecting freedom of worship in the country.[90] A group of 147 Evangelical Churches claimed that full respect for religious freedom exists in Nicaragua, and that it is possible to freely express one’s beliefs.[91] This has not, however, been the experience of the majority.
The Mountain Gateway Church, for example, was allowed to hold meetings in public spaces at a time when other Churches and religions had been forbidden from doing so. In 2023, Church activities assembled approximately 200,000 people over two nights. Without explanation, the government later accused the Church of money laundering, revoked its legal status and confiscated its assets, detaining 11 Nicaraguan pastors and two lawyers and holding them incommunicado before sentencing them to between 12 and 15 years in prison.[92] The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights invoked precautionary measures in favour of the pastors. Subsequently, following an agreement with the government of the United States, the regime released 135 political prisoners, including the missionaries and pastors who had been granted precautionary measures by the Commission.[93]
Hate speech and religious intolerance
A further expression of religious intolerance has been hate speech. Co-President Rosario Murillo publicly attacked the Catholic Church in at least seven speeches over 45 days, using a variety of insults. She described priests as “Satan’s minions”, “the devil’s representatives”, “devils”, “blasphemers” and “false representatives of God”,[94] and celebrated their expulsions.[95]
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs responded to comments made by Bishop Rolando Álvarez in an interview following his exile. In a statement, the Ministry described the Vatican as “depraved” and “paedophile” and considered the bishops’ remarks as “an affront and insult to the sovereignty and dignity” of the country. The Vatican was also accused of planning to give positions and power in Nicaragua to individuals who were no longer Nicaraguan citizens.[96]
Other examples of intolerance include the case of a woman imprisoned for posting a religious prayer on social media calling for peace in the country.[97] Some parishes have also had to suspend Masses because the government organised pagan events outside the churches that caused so much noise that the faithful could not hear.[98]
Prospects for freedom of religion
During the period under review, government hostility towards Churches intensified, severely violating the fundamental right to religious freedom. Persecution was evident in arbitrary arrests, exiles, banishments, expulsions, stripping of nationality, desecration of religious rites and symbols, prohibition of public religious celebrations, and hundreds of cases of revoked legal status. In addition, constitutional reform and new legislation have given the regime with the means to exert full control over religious entities. International organisations consider Nicaragua to be among the countries with the highest levels of religious persecution. The prospects for the future of this fundamental right remain deeply worrying.
Sources
Nicaragua