Nicaragua: IACHR urges cessation of religious persecution and release of all persons arbitrarily detained

August 14, 2024

Washington D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expresses its concern over the persistent repression in Nicaragua, characterized by religious persecution, the continuation of arbitrary detentions and the serious conditions in which those in prison remain. The IACHR urges an end to the repression and the immediate release of those detained in this context.

Between August 1 and 10, 2024, through the Special Follow-up Mechanism for Nicaragua (MESENI), the IACHR received information on the deployment of operations and raids carried out by the national police in different curial houses and properties of the Catholic Church. As a result, twelve priests and at least two other church collaborators were detained, most of them linked to the Dioceses of Matagalpa or Estelí. On August 8, seven of these priests were expelled from the country and transferred to the Vatican State after being detained for several days at the Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima in Managua.

In its report Closing Civic Space in Nicaragua, published in 2023, the IACHR found that religious persecution intensified with the arbitrary detention and expulsion of religious persons without guarantees of due process; the prohibition of religious acts and the celebration of masses; as well as the forced closure of radio stations, study centers and universities linked to Catholic congregations. Since October 2023, more than 200 religious persons have been banished, expelled from or denied entry into the country. In total, since 2018, 46 priests and bishops have been released from prison and expelled to the Vatican State or the United States. Currently, other lay people linked to the Catholic Church remain in prison, including collaborators of Caritas Esteli.

In its report on Freedom of Religion and Belief, the IACHR warned that these types of actions are part of a systematic context of reprisals against the Catholic Church, due to its role as a mediator in the 2018 National Dialogue and its role in denouncing human rights violations in the country.

Repression and persecution have extended to Protestant and evangelical religions. In 2024, according to MESENI records, the State has cancelled the legal status of more than 60 evangelical churches or associations. In April 2024, the IACHR granted precautionary measures in favor of ten people from the evangelical church ministry "Puerta de la Montaña", who are deprived of their liberty under serious conditions of detention.

Article 12 of the American Convention on Human Rights recognizes the right of all persons to freedom of conscience and religion, which entails "the freedom to profess and disseminate their religion and beliefs, either individually or in community with others, in public or in private." The IACHR has pointed out that an open, free and plural civic space is an essential condition for the guarantee of this right.

At the same time, the IACHR notes with concern that reports of arbitrary detentions and serious detention conditions persist. As of July 31, according to data from the Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners (composed of civil society organizations), at least 141 persons were arbitrarily deprived of their liberty, most of them detained in unhealthy conditions, allegedly experiencing ill-treatment, lack of access to drinking water, inadequate food, and lack of medical attention. In turn, the prolonged detention in such deplorable conditions continues to severely affect the physical and mental health of the detainees, especially the elderly and those with pre-existing illnesses.

The IACHR is also alarmed by the lack of official information on the whereabouts and health condition of seven detainees, three of them since the time of their arrest. This situation is aggravated by a context of restrictions on family visits and the receipt of parcels, as well as patterns of violations of access to justice and due process guarantees. Likewise, the absence of an independent justice system and police harassment of the families of detainees, lawyers and human rights defenders, maintain a climate of defenselessness and generalized fear that makes it difficult to denounce and register serious violations of their human rights.

The IACHR urges the State to immediately cease the widespread repression and religious persecution in the country. It also urges the State to guarantee the life and integrity of persons arbitrarily deprived of their liberty and to order their immediate release.

The IACHR is a principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission is mandated to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR is composed of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 181/24

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