Intensifies attacks on Protestant churches in Nicaragua under Ortega's anti-religious campaign
In Nicaragua, the government of Daniel Ortega is targeting Protestant churches, a shift from his previous focus on the Catholic Church. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (now CSW), Protestant churches are now facing restrictions similar to those imposed on the Catholic Church, including banned public activities, intimidation, and forced closure of affiliated educational institutions and charities.
This crackdown on religious freedom is part of Ortega's broader objective to suppress civil society, including churches that refuse to be subservient to the regime. Over the years, the Ortega regime has closed 256 Protestant organizations among almost 4,000 civil society organizations shuttered nationwide.
Ortega's change in attitude towards religion is a departure from his Marxist roots. The Sandinista (FSLN) movement, which took over Nicaragua in 1979, was known for its policy of atheism, a stance that was unpopular in overwhelmingly Christian Nicaragua, as it was in Cuba. However, in 2006, Ortega publicly reunited with the Catholic Church and integrated "Christianity and Socialism" in his campaign slogans and legislation.
However, this reconciliation was short-lived. In recent years, Ortega has been cracking down on religious institutions. The government has closed 10 churches and confiscated assets of Mountain Gateway, a Protestant organisation. The regime has also arrested 11 Nicaraguan pastors associated with Mountain Gateway, sentencing them to 11-15 years in prison and fining them $1 billion.
The government's charge against Mountain Gateway was money laundering, a claim the organisation denies. Dr. Teo A. Babun, president and CEO of Outreach Aid to the Americas, is urging renewed international action against Ortega's human rights repression and attacks on Nicaragua's faith community.
Dr. Babun, author of "Faith and Freedom in Latin America" and a recipient of multiple awards for his humanitarian work and advocacy for human rights, is leading a call for the US government and Congress to hold Daniel Ortega accountable for human rights violations and to condemn attacks on Nicaraguan faith communities. The Center for Faith and Justice of the Americas and Church, State & Holocaust International are among the organisations supporting this call.
The Ortega regime's repression of religious freedom is not a new issue. Over the last six years, the regime has shut down Catholic operations, confiscated church assets, imprisoned two bishops, taken over Catholic schools, and is listed by human rights defenders and the U.S. Department of State as one of the worst abusers of freedom of religion in the world.
In 2018, student-led protests led to a harsh government clampdown, and many Catholic churches provided shelter to student protestors. This article was first published by the Washington Stand and re-published with permission. The article was published under the title "Ortega shifts his anti-religious attacks to Nicaragua's Protestant churches" in Evangelical Focus.
Ortega, a Catholic-educated individual who led Bible studies and briefly attended law school at the Jesuit-run Central American University, spent almost a decade in prison for his role in a murder and bank robberies. Despite his Catholic education and past involvement in religious activities, Ortega's regime continues to suppress religious freedom in Nicaragua.
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