Nicaragua bans Holy Week events amid crackdown on Catholic Church

For the third consecutive year, Nicaragua's government under President Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has banned all public Holy Week processions and related celebrations, confining religious events strictly within church walls and deploying large security forces to enforce these measures. The regime has intensified its crackdown on the Catholic Church, labeling clergy as 'terrorists,' exiling hundreds of religious leaders, and using surveillance and intimidation tactics, including police monitoring of priests and threats of imprisonment for noncompliance. Reports from exiled observers and local parishioners describe widespread harassment, including plainclothes police infiltrating church events, cellphone checks, and restrictions on homilies and church decorations with political symbolism. The Church, historically a key voice for justice and human rights in Nicaragua, now operates under severe restrictions, with priests and laypeople facing constant fear and surveillance. Meanwhile, Murillo and Ortega have issued public statements appropriating Christian language, while simultaneously suppressing the free exercise of faith. These actions constitute a serious violation of religious freedom, as noted by international observers and Nicaraguan exiles.