In 2025, violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Nicaragua, under the leadership of co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, and the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), remained egregious and numerous. Leaders of different religious groups were subjected to harassment and surveillance by security forces. ‘Precautionary measures’ were increasingly imposed on religious leaders, forcing those targeted to make weekly in person reports to local police stations, to share details of planned activities, and requiring that they obtain government authorisation in order to go outside their municipality of residence.  

Many public religious activities, including traditional Roman Catholic processions and some associated with the Day of the Bible, observed by both Roman Catholics and Protestants, remained prohibited. Religious activities that previously took place outside in public spaces were confined to within the walls of the church building and often required prior authorisation from the National Police (PN). Some religious groups, in particular those aligned with and supportive of the government, were exempt from prohibitions on religious activities in public, with permits granted for large scale events. The government co-opted some religious festivals and traditions in an attempt to create an illusion of general respect for FoRB.  

Inside religious buildings, religious activities were subject to overt and covert government monitoring; religious leaders know not to speak or pray about specific topics. Preaching about unity or justice or praying for imprisoned religious leaders or even the general situation in the country or internationally, for example, can be considered as criticism of the government and treated as a crime. Religious leaders who openly defend human rights, including FoRB, face the possibility of being arbitrarily detained in inhumane conditions and or forced into exile.  

CSW recorded 309 separate FoRB cases during the period covered by this report (1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). In 200 of the cases the victims were Roman Catholic, while Protestant Christians, including Seventh Day Adventists, made up 108. An additional case involved a non-religious journalist who was targeted because of their coverage of religious issues. Most cases involved multiple FoRB violations and many affected large numbers of people. Members of religion or belief communities and religious leaders, including both Nicaraguan nationals and individuals holding foreign citizenship, were forcibly exiled by either being forced to leave the country, or prevented from re-entering the country after travel abroad. Religious leaders and members of religion or belief communities were subjected to short- and long-term arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions, in some cases incommunicado. Political prisoners are not allowed to receive or have a Bible or other religious literature in prison in violation of the Nelson Mandela Rules (the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners).   

The government continued to forcibly shut down independent civil society organisations (iCSOs), including religious institutions, arbitrarily stripping them of their legal status, bringing the total number of iCSOs that have been made illegal to upwards of 5,600. The government froze the bank accounts of some groups. In some cases, this led to the closure of the targeted institution, inability to pay staff, or was accompanied by the confiscation of property by the government or the forced exile of members.  

Pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders (HRDs), members of the political opposition, and others considered by the government to be critical of its policies continued to report harassment and warnings from government security agents to separate themselves from religion or belief communities and to refrain from participation in religious activities.

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