Nicaragua’s Easter crackdown on Christians is no anomaly

Christians in Nicaragua are being subjected to a disturbingly routine suppression by their government – yet, as Ellis Heasley reports, the Church remains committed to voicing its faith

This Easter the Nicaraguan government, led by President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, prohibited both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches across the country from holding public processions and other religious activities.

Religious leaders were warned not to go outside, use fireworks, or mention exiles or political prisoners in their prayers and sermons, and some churches reported to us at Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) that they had multiple police vehicles – in some cases carrying riot police – stationed outside their buildings for the duration of key Easter celebrations such as the Via Crucis, or the Way of the Cross.