The Assault on Freedom of Religion and The Downfall of Democracy

Repression of fundamental freedoms and human rights abuses rapidly intensified in Nicaragua after civilians began protesting peacefully in the streets on April 18, 2018. The brutal repression by President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, resulted in more than 300 casualties, over 2,000 injured, and hundreds arbitrarily detained. The ongoing attacks on civic space have resulted in the centralization of State powers in the hands of Ortega and Murillo. From the start of the social unrest, the human rights situation in Nicaragua was so alarming that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) created a Rapid and Integrated Response Coordination Unit (SACROI), carried out a working visit in May 2018, and installed the Special Follow-Up Mechanism for Nicaragua (MESENI). Furthermore, the United Nations Human Rights Council established a Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua on March 31, 2022, to investigate alleged human rights violations and abuses since April 2018. 

The Ortega-Murillo regime maintains its grip on power by repressing either real or perceived opposition. This not only includes opposition leaders but also human rights defenders, journalists, Indigenous people, people of African descent, members of the campesino movement, university students and faculty, and members of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations. The latter acted as mediators during the 2018 protests and played a critical role in denouncing human rights violations. In retaliation to criticism by leaders of the Catholic Church, Ortega accused them of attempting to overthrow the government. 

The UN Group of Human Rights Experts found that Nicaraguan authorities started using hate speech and labeled priests as “coup plotters”, “terrorists”, and “agents of evil” after receiving criticism from the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua. Pro-government media disseminated hate speech inciting violence and discrimination against the Catholic Church. Despite the hate speech, the Catholic Church is the most credible institution in Nicaragua.

In December 2019, the U.S. State Department added Nicaragua to the “Special Watch List” (SWL) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. In November 2022, the State Department designated Nicaragua as one of those "Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) due to the escalation of attacks. Those countries designated as CPCs commit systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In 2022, the government of Nicaragua imprisoned for the first time members of the clergy and hindered the operations of Church-affiliated organizations or services. In particular, the Ortega-Murillo regime targeted Catholic charitable and educational organizations. As of 2024, only Cuba and Nicaragua have CPC designations in Latin America and the Caribbean region. 

The Ortega-Murillo regime has used different tactics to persecute the Catholic Church. This includes expelling clergymen, shutting down Catholic media outlets, taking over ecclesiastical institutions and buildings, seizing money earmarked for church work, and sending priests and bishops to prison or exile. For instance, Nicaraguan authorities recently expelled a jailed Catholic bishop and other clergymen to the Vatican. On March 17, 2023, the diplomatic offices of the Holy See in Managua closed, following a request from the Nicaraguan government.  

The UN Group of Human Rights Experts has documented the arbitrary deprivation of nationality of real or perceived opponents, which has left most of them stateless. One of the most notorious cases is the 26-year sentence and stripping of citizenship that Bishop Rolando Alvarez received for criticizing the government’s actions. The UN Group also noted that authorities ban Nicaraguan citizens from entering or leaving their own country, thereby restricting their freedom of movement. 

The IACHR has found that restrictions on freedom of religion include harassment, siege, intimidation, monitoring, surveillance, physical aggression, arbitrary detention, and criminalization of members of the Catholic Church. Another documented pattern of interference with the exercise of freedom of religion is the de facto prohibition of religious acts in public spaces and impediments to the celebration of masses. The bans imposed by the National Police prevented the holding of 3000 religious processions during Holy Week in 2023. The National Police enforces the de facto prohibition by laying siege to churches, conducting arbitrary arrests, or seizing areas nearby churches.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended the U.S. government impose targeted sanctions on Nicaraguan government agencies and officials responsible for violations of religious freedom. These sanctions include freezing individual assets and banning visas. Also, the USCIRF recommended increased scrutiny of any loan or financial technical assistance provided by international financial institutions for projects in Nicaragua. Not only the U.S. State Department has imposed targeted sanctions, but also the EU, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The United Kingdom’s Parliament launched on February 8, 2024, an ad-hoc inquiry into politically motivated repression of the media, religious leaders, and the opposition to identify practical and meaningful steps that can be taken by the UK Government and the international community. One of the options considered in the inquiry report was to bring proceedings, either unilaterally or jointly with other states, against Nicaragua before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The report noted that Nicaragua recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICJ, heeding Nicaragua’s decision to bring proceedings against Germany under the Genocide Convention in March 2024. The report also underscored the need for further examination of the political, military, and economic ties between Nicaragua, China, and Russia. Both China and Russia are CPC-designated countries. 

On April 22, 2024, Nicaragua announced that it signed with Russia a declaration agreement to “counteract” sanctions imposed by the United States and other nations. According to the Costa Rican academic and international relations specialist, Carlos Humberto Cascante, the declaration “seeks to create an alternative block to the Western bloc where sanctions are not applied.” It aims to protect Russia and Nicaragua from the confiscation and freezing of assets and properties stemming from sanctions. Yet, Nicaragua uses confiscations as a political tool against its opponents and critics.

In conclusion, the Ortega-Murillo persecution of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations stems from a race for absolute power. The clamp-down on any type of opposition and criticism has had a pernicious effect on political and civil rights, eroding democracy and human rights.

Image Credits: Diócesis de Matagalpa | Edited by GorStra Team