The ongoing crackdown on churches and NGOs is leading Nicaragua farther from democracy to authoritarianism

The Nicaraguan government recently closed greater than 1,500 nonprofit organizations – a lot of them civil and non secular groups They perform humanitarian work in a rustic that has long been mired in political violence, economic unrest and social unrest.

The closures in August 2024 were the most recent in a long-running crackdown on civil society, including religious groups – a number of the last influential, independent organizations within the country. In the identical month, the Govt revoked the tax-exempt status of churches. Many in recent times Places of worship were or had been closed Their bank accounts have been frozen.

As a sociologistI worked with Central American scientists Explore the role of faith in public life in Central America, including Nicaragua. Several hundred Catholic figures have been arrested as a part of a sustained crackdown under President Daniel Ortega, now 78 the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

Blanket suppression

Ortega's FSLN party, because it is thought in Spanish, is the authoritarian remnant of the group that led a broad national movement against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle within the Seventies. After Overthrow of Somoza in 1979Ortega and the Sandinistas ruled until defeat within the 1990 elections.

Since Ortega returned to power within the 2006 elections, moderates have fled the FSLN, which they’ve used ever since oppression and violence for political and social control. In 2013, the National Assembly Presidential term limits were lifted is about out within the structure of Nicaragua.

In April 2018, Ortega's regime began take targeted motion against student demonstrators. Since then, tons of of residents – religious leaders, university students, academics, journalists and doctors – have done so been killed or arrestedsubmerged or forced to go away the country.

Ortega's crackdown was comprehensive. Universities had their assets were confiscated and funding was cut and a few were closed as government took control of upper education. Media company were closed, and international aid organizations were expelled.

Paramilitary police and prison guards have been accused of collaborating arbitrary killings and torture. Meanwhile a Record variety of refugees flee the country.

Silence churches

Under the nearly 5,500 nonprofits which have closed In Nicaragua, between 2018 and 2024, there are Catholic, Evangelical Christian and historic Protestant organizations, in addition to secular humanitarian organizations. Those, 1,650 organizations and churches were closed in August 2024, with government officials claiming their closure was because of ties to non-public firms or a scarcity of economic records.

Catholic media and Radio station, Missionary Order And humanitarian groups have also been closed as Ortega and the vice chairman – his wife Rosario Murillo – have sought to eliminate places where ideas and data flow freely and folks act independently of the federal government.

The most distinguished religious leader affected by the repression is Rolando Álvarez, a preferred bishop, critic of Ortega and a distinguished Catholic voice of protest. Alvarez was arrested in August 2022accused”Conspiracy and spreading false news,, deprived of his citizenship and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Due to increasing international pressure, Alvarez and a bunch of other imprisoned Catholic clergy were released in January 2024 exiled to the Vatican – where the regime had previously expelled the Apostolic Nuncio, the Pope's top diplomat in Nicaragua. They are among the many 245 Catholic personalities within the country has shown in recent times. Another 135 people, including Catholics and evangelicalswas deported and stripped of their citizenship in September 2024.

Today, 43% of Nicaraguan residents discover as Catholic. However, this percentage was much higher, and the country has deep cultural roots in Catholicism.

In Nicaragua, as in much of Latin America, the Catholic Church is essentially the most powerful source of social authority and the biggest independent institution to public debate. It represents a key channel through which democratic values ​​can take rootgrow and prosper – an obstacle within the eyes of the regime.

It has been for a few years The church was the one organization that escaped Ortega’s grip – but no more.

Dangerous path

I witnessed firsthand Nicaragua's transformation from a rustic with promising seeds of democracy to a violent autocracy. As Civil war was raging between the unique Sandinista regime and US-backed Contras In the Eighties, I led travel seminars to Nicaragua for faith communities, journalists, congressional staff, and university students. I once met Ortega in person when he acted as translator at a gathering with American journalists when his official translator failed to point out up.

Today, as Ortega continues to consolidate his power by suppressing the opposition, Nicaragua has degenerated right into a repressive state ruled with an iron fist. This reality reflects broader dynamics worldwide, from autocratic movements within the United States and Western Europe to current regimes in Russia, India, Turkey, Hungary and China.

Closer to home, Ortega poses a regional threat and serves as a job model for other would-be autocrats. This is especially true in neighbors like El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele – the favored, self-described “coolest dictator” – sinks the same path transforming the nation into an authoritarian state.

I actually have seen the generosity and courage of Nicaraguans within the long struggle for freedom and justice. The closure of democratic spaces, civil society institutions and humanitarian organizations, in addition to the suppression of non secular freedom, are a transparent sign that the country is on the trail to more oppression and violence – and, as history shows, is in peril of becoming ripe for revolution .

I imagine that only a gradual reconstruction of civil society can save Nicaragua from this fate. The tragedy is what Nicaragua might have been: a thriving democratic society with a commitment to empowering the poor.