A new report has highlighted an increase in restrictions on religious leaders in Nicaragua, amid ongoing violations of religious freedom.
Persecution watchog Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said the government’s goal remains "to control, co-opt or eliminate anyone it deems a threat".
The report by called No Respite: Another Year of Increasing Repression in Nicaragua, has found authorities had imposed measures requiring some religious leaders to report weekly to police and seek permission for various activities.
It recorded 309 freedom of religion or belief cases in 2025, which is up from 222 in 2024, having noted many incidents likely went unreported due to fear under the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
The report said the government has continued to prohibit public religious activities, monitor gatherings inside places of worship, detain religious leaders and cancel the legal status of hundreds of organisations, including religious institutions.
It also highlighted the case of pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas, who was detained in July 2025 with six others. One detainee died in custody, while others were later released into house arrest or under precautionary measures.
Anna Lee Stangl, director of advocacy at CSW, said the situation has continued to deteriorate and has called on the international community to support independent religious groups and hold those backing the government to account.
She said: ‘For several years now CSW has documented a continued deterioration in the situation of freedom of religion or belief and other human rights in Nicaragua. 2025 was no different.
"While in some ways the regime has changed its strategies – releasing political prisoners into house arrest as opposed to forcing them into exile, for example – its primary goal remains the same: to control, coopt or eliminate anyone it deems a threat to its authority and survival.
"The international community must do more to support and strengthen independent voices in the country, including those of religious groups, and, in light of Nicaragua’s own unresponsiveness to international communications, it should consider holding other states that support the regime to account."
On the Open Doors 2026 World Watch List, Nicaragua is ranked 32nd among the top 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.