222 cases against religious freedom were registered in Nicaragua in 2024. This is the result of a report published by CSW, a human rights organization that assures the dictatorship has total control over the population.
According to this report, the Ortega regime has not ceased its repression of Catholics. Many groups reported harassment and police surveillance. They couldn't leave their municipalities and even had to report to the local police every week.
This situation forced many of them to go into exile. This was the case of several dozen seminarians and priests, who were taken in by the Vatican.
In some cases, the repression went as far as imprisoning bishops such as Rolando Alvarez, who was banished to Rome at the beginning of 2024.
The president of the bishops' conference was also forcibly banished last November. The organization has denounced the prohibition of events such as, for example, processions.
In addition to this, some Catholic entities were closed, such as a humanitarian organization that works with a local Diocese, whose assets were transferred to the State, and Radio Maria, whose bank accounts were closed.
JH
