Nicaragua dictatorship watches priests, check their cell phones and demand weekly reports

The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and his “co -president” and wife, Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua, does not cease in his persecution against the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations: now it monitors priests, you check their cell phones and demand weekly reports of their activities, in addition to restricting them freedom of movement.

The Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaic csi He denounced that “for the priests who remain Nicaragua, homilies must be totally theological. They cannot talk about issues related to the social doctrine of the Church or social criticism. ”

Priests, CSI mosaic points out, “they receive frequent police visits that They check the cell phones to see if they communicate with the bishops and priests who are outside the country or with journalists. ”

222 violations of religious freedom

The international Christian organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has published in This March a reportwhich confirms what is presented by Mosaic CSI in January, which gives an account of the “precautionary measures” of the dictatorship against religious leaders, such as the obligation to present weekly reports to the police, share the details of their planning and the prohibition of leaving their municipality without authorization from the government.

The report also denounces the prohibition of religious processions and marches, in addition to “open and covert government surveillance.”

The text of the international organization warns that “preaching on unity or justice or praying for imprisoned religious leaders or even for the general situation of the country, for example, can be considered a criticism of the government and classified as a crime.”

The document accounts for 222 violations of religious freedom in the period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, in addition to 46 cases of arbitrary arrests of religious leaders, such as Catholic secular Carmen María Sáenz Martínez (49), and lesbia of the relief Gutiérrez Poveda (38), that “they have been incommunicated without their families have provided to their families. live ”.

9 Catholic priests with “precautionary measures”

The report recalls the case of Fr. Luis Eduardo Benavides, of the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, that on August 27, 2024 he was warned by the Dictatorship Police, which informed him that since then “the police would visit him every Tuesday to interview him and take a photograph” and that the “precautionary measures were the result of a managua order”.

The priest fled to Honduras very early on August 28.

CSW also points out that in 2024 “he received nine additional reports from Roman Catholic priests subject to precautionary measures. In each case, the priest was arrested and questioned first by the police ”and they were told that if they did not comply with any measure they would be detained or banished.

UN Evangelical Pastor

CSW also refers to the case of the evangelical pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López, who worked with more than 100 Christian churches, who was hit and imprisoned in 2022 for having publicly criticized the violence of the dictatorship.

Now he is imprisoned, no book is allowed, except a Bible and, “since August 2024, only a small container with water per day is provided. He has been deprived of natural light and fresh air, since he is rarely allowed to go out to the patio of the prison. ” They also do not give him the food and medicines that take him to the prison.

Infiltration and informants

The CSW report also indicates that Protestants and Catholics “frequently denounced infiltration and use of informants in congregations of all kinds, to monitor and inform about the content of sermons, prayers and other activities, which indicates that the Government sees religious communities or beliefs with growing suspicion and monitor them actively and systematically”.

Police have also demanded not to mention in public some issues such as political prisoners, Israel and the general situation in Nicaragua, as well as not using the combination of the colors of the national, blue and white flag.

A 13 -year -old girl questioned the Church

Mosaic CSI reported in January the case of “Angelica” – fictional name to guarantee the security of the child under 13 – who was interrogated by the police when he went to church in northern Nicaragua.

A policeman saw her on the street, and asked several questions, such as what “so much” went to the church, to which the girl replied: “To Mass!”, And they let her continue on her way.

“It did not happen to more and have not bother her again, but yes, the police continue to monitor all kinds of activity in the churches, intimidating everyone, even children,” says “Rosa”, a catechist who knew what happened to Angelica.

CSW recommendations for dictatorship

The CSW report presents some recommendations for the dictatorship of Nicaragua, such as the liberation of religious leaders and imprisoned political prisoners, the restitution of Nicaraguan citizenship to all who were arbitrarily withdrawn.

He also asks him to restore the legal personality of the more than 5,000 “civil society organizations that have been arbitrarily illegal”; and defrost the bank accounts of universities, non -governmental organizations and religious groups throughout the country.