Christian Solidarity Worldwide said in a report released this week that repression of religious groups in Nicaragua remained widespread in 2025, with Protestant communities, including Baptists, among those affected.
Of note, the Association of Independent Fundamentalist Baptists was, according to the report, “stripped of its legal status in February.” Other affected religious institutions included “schools, religious radio, and television outlets, and faith-based charities.”
According to the CSW report, in 2025, violations of freedom of religion or belief in Nicaragua, under the leadership of co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, and the Sandinista National Liberation Front, remained egregious and numerous.
CSW documented 309 cases in 2025, including 108 involving Protestant, evangelical, and Pentecostal groups.
The report said pastors and lay leaders faced harassment, surveillance, detention, and forced exile.
In some cases, religious leaders were detained or warned against preaching on topics such as justice, unity, or political prisoners.
Authorities also imposed “precautionary measures,” requiring religious leaders to report weekly to police, disclose planned church activities, and seek permission to travel. Failure to comply could result in detention or exile, CSW reported.
Security forces frequently monitored worship services, and informants were used to report on sermons and prayers, CSW said.
Religious leaders who spoke out on human rights risked arrest, incommunicado detention, or expulsion from the country.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
Despite the risks, CSW expressed gratitude to Nicaraguans, including those in exile, who documented abuses.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.