What’s Life Like For Christians?
Churches in Nicaragua that speak out against injustice and human rights violations by the government are viewed as destabilising agents. This makes them a target for hostility, which can include intimidation, harassment, monitoring, arrests, and even attacks. Roman Catholic churches are particularly susceptible to opposition.
The government is particularly hostile to churches that provided shelter and care for people during the widespread protests which broke out against the country’s dictatorial regime in 2018. To this day, these churches are still experiencing retribution from the government, including slander and surveillance.
Meanwhile, recent elections and changes to the law have been used as a pretext to label church leaders as terrorists and coup-plotters. This has led to increasing restrictions on churches and other Christian organisations.