This summer, Nicaragua saw a renewed crackdown on religious leaders and civil society in particular. President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, seem determined to eradicate all independent or critical voices.
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1. Pray for an end to the targeting of religious leaders.
Amid a fresh wave of arbitrary detentions, 79-year-old priest Father Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón was unjustly detained on 26 July. Father Valle Salmerón is diabetic and suffers from hypertension and became seriously ill while in the police vehicle. He remains under house arrest.
Then in August, several other Roman Catholic leaders were arbitrarily detained – most of whom were eventually forced into exile.
2. Pray for independent civil society, including religious organisations.
Over 1,800 civil society organisations were forced to close in August, including scores of churches and two of the most historic denominations: the Moravian Church of Nicaragua and the Episcopal Church of Nicaragua (present since 1847 and 1612, respectively).
The Nicaraguan government has now cancelled the legal status of over 5,500 organisations since 2018 – eliminating more than 76% of registered independent civil society. These organisations play a vital role in society, often supporting the most vulnerable.
How many more will be closed before President Ortega is held to account?