Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has issued a new report warning of a deterioration of religious freedom in Nicaragua.
The report has showed a significant increase in alleged violations of religious freedom, rising from 222 cases in 2024 to 309 cases last year. The group said that many violations were probably going unreported due to a “climate of fear” created by the government.
Many religious leaders in Nicaragua are subject to “precautionary measures” that require them to report weekly to the police and to seek permission to conduct various religious activities.
Some pastors have also been detained by police for significant periods of time. Furthermore, reports have suggested that the Nicaraguan government has banned international visitors from bringing Bibles into the country.
One pastor, Efrén Antonio Vílchez López, has been sentenced to 23 years in jail on what human rights groups say were “trumped up” charges. His real “crime” is believed to be criticism of the current Nicaraguan government.
According to Open Doors, Nicaragua is the 32nd worst persecutor of Christians in the world, with the situation having deteriorated significantly since 2018 when there were a series of anti-government protests.
Leader Anna Lee Stangl, Director of Advocacy and Americas Team at CSW, said, “For several years now CSW has documented a continued deterioration in the situation of freedom of religion or belief and other human rights in Nicaragua. 2025 was no different.
"While in some ways the regime has changed its strategies – releasing political prisoners into house arrest as opposed to forcing them into exile, for example – its primary goal remains the same: to control, coopt or eliminate anyone it deems a threat to its authority and survival.
“The international community must do more to support and strengthen independent voices in the country, including those of religious groups, and, in light of Nicaragua’s own unresponsiveness to international communications, it should consider holding other states that support the regime to account.”
