Nicaragua: Evangelicals Increasingly Targeted by Ortega Regime

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new study shows there has been a surge in attacks on Christians in Nicaragua over the last two years, with Nicaraguan dictator President Daniel Ortega now specifically targeting evangelical bodies as well as Catholic communities, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.

Titled The Persecution of Christians in Nicaragua 2018-2024, the report was published earlier this month by the France-based European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).

The study documents over 100 attacks against evangelical bodies, adding that these incidents are only the ones that are known to have been reported.

“It is important to note that in addition to the repression against the Catholic Church in recent years, there is now increasing repression targeting the evangelical church and other religious denominations,” the ECLJ states in the report. “Although initially these did not seem to be in the government’s crosshairs, it is now clear that they are now part of Ortega’s repressive strategy.”

“Unfortunately, the attacks continue to occur with the same intensity,” the report stated. “The number of attacks in the first half of 2024, already equivalent to that of the whole of 2018, underlines the increasing seriousness of these acts.”

In a statement that concurs with the ECLJ study’s findings, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization reports: “Hostility toward Christians in Nicaragua continues to intensify: those who speak out against President Ortega and his government are viewed as destabilizing agents. Changes to the law in recent years mean that church leaders are labeled terrorists and coup plotters. The situation has deteriorated significantly since 2018, when widespread protests broke out against the country’s dictatorial regime. Years later, retribution continues against those perceived to have opposed the regime – even those who merely provided shelter and medical assistance during the protests.”

While Nicaragua’s main religion is Christianity, the country under Ortega ranks 30 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2025 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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