Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Nicaragua

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Nicaragua

Updated March 2024

Catholics

Catholic clergy and laypeople face severe repression in 

Nicaragua. The government of Nicaragua has arbitrarily 

imprisoned clergy and laypeople on bogus charges, 

eliminated Church-affiliated organizations, and placed 

restrictions on religious observances. Catholics also endure 

hate speech, and clergy are often denied entry back into 

the country.

Adela Tercero

arrested:

August 19, 2023

reason for persecution:

Association with a Catholic university

Gabriela Morales

arrested:

August 19, 2023

reason for persecution:

Association with a Catholic university

Freddy Quezada

arrested:

November 29, 2023

reason for persecution:

Criticizing religious freedom conditions

Evelyn Guillén

arrested:

August 5, 2023

reason for persecution:

Calling for the release of imprisoned 

Catholic clergy

Alex Javier Gómez Bustos

arrested:

August 5, 2023

reason for persecution:

Calling for the release of imprisoned 

Catholic clergy

Emmanuel Gutiérrez

arrested:

April 5, 2023

sentence:

8 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Participating in a Catholic procession

Journalists Covering Religious News

The Nicaraguan government does not respect the freedom of 

the press and targets journalists whose reporting is perceived 

to threaten the regime. While journalists reporting on any 

topic are susceptible to harassment, those who cover religious 

issues are especially at risk.

Victor Ticay

religion or belief:

Unspecified

arrested:

April 6, 2023

sentence:

8 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Recording a banned Easter celebration and 

posting the footage online

FoRB Victims List Stats

68 out of 2,282

Religion or Belief # of Victims

Catholic 47

Protestant 11

Unspecified 10

Total 68

Type of Abuse # of Victims

Detained 47

Imprisoned 21

Total 68

Average Prison Sentence

9 Years, 3 Months

Reports of # of Victims

Torture 0

Medical Neglect 1

Total 1
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Nicaragua

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Nicaragua

Updated March 2024

Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List Background

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), as amended by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, 

requires USCIRF to:

make publicly available, to the extent practicable...lists of persons it determines are imprisoned or detained, have 

disappeared, been placed under house arrest, been tortured, or subjected to forced renunciation of faith for their religious 

activity or religious freedom advocacy by the government of a foreign country that the Commission recommends for 

designation as a country of particular concern [CPC]...or by a nonstate actor that the Commission recommends for 

designation as an entity of particular concern [EPC]. 

USCIRF developed the Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List—an online public database—to implement this 

provision for countries USCIRF recommends for Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or Special Watch List (SWL) status. The list also 

includes such victims located in the de facto territories of nonstate actors that USCIRF recommends for Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) 

status, according to the same criteria.

Due to limited resources, USCIRF is unable to identify and document all victims that meet the statutory requirement to be included on 

the FoRB Victims List and generally relies on receiving submissions from outside individuals and organizations. As such, the information 

contained in the database does not reflect country, regional, or global trends. Furthermore, percentages highlighted in this section should 

not be used for extrapolation purposes nor interpreted as a particular group experiencing greater violations than another or a particular 

country committing violations at a greater rate than others. To support this project, USCIRF invites those with credible information on 

victims to submit information using the Victims List Intake Form at www.uscirf.gov/form/uscirf-victims-list-intake-form. 

FoRB Victims List Stats Overall

Perpetrator Victims Documented

Algeria 5 

Azerbaijan 11 

Burma 5 

China 798 

Cuba 11 

Egypt 18 

Eritrea 61

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) 2 

Houthis 3 

India 55 

Indonesia 9 

Iran 351 

Iraq 2 

Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) 1 

Kazakhstan 16 

Malaysia 4 

Nicaragua 68 

Nigeria 9 

North Korea 11 

Pakistan 87 

Russia 488 

Saudi Arabia 50 

Sri Lanka 1 

Tajikistan 16 

Turkmenistan 31 

Uzbekistan 88 

Vietnam 81 

Total 2,282 

Religion or Belief Victims Documented

Adivasi 1 

Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light 3

Baha’i 169 

Bon 1 

Buddhist – Hoa Hao 6 

Buddhist – Theravada 3 

Buddhist – Tibetan 93 

Buddhist – Unspecified/Other 32 

Christian – Catholic 79 

Christian – Church of Almighty God 240 

Christian – Jehovah’s Witness 283

Christian – Orthodox 21 

Christian – Protestant 150 

Christian – Unspecified/Other 65 

Duong Van Minh 4 

ECKist (Eckankar) 1 

Erfan-e Halgheh Practitioner 3 

Falun Gong 217

Hindu 10 

Humanist 1 

Jewish 1 

Muslim – Ahmadiyya 20

Muslim – Qur’anist 1 

Muslim – Shi’a 40 

Muslim – Sufi 64 

Muslim – Sunni 412 

Muslim – Unspecified/Other 233

Santeria 5 

Scientologist 1 

Shaman 1 

Sikh 1 

Yarsani 38 

Unknown/Unspecified 83

Total 2,282
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Nicaragua

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Nicaragua

Updated March 2024

Not Released

Alex Javier Gómez Bustos

Evelyn Guillén 

María Asunción Salgado 

Salvador Paguaga

Freylin Axarael Moreno Ponce

Francisco Odorico Castilblanco

Ervin López 

Marisela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz 

Walner Omier Blandón Ochoa 

César Facundo Burgalin Miranda 

Orvin Alexis Moncada Castellano

Juan Luis Moncada

Juan Carlos Chavarría Zapata 

Álvaro Daniel Escobar Caldera 

José Luis Orozco Urrutia 

Manuel de Jesús Ríos Flores 

Harry Lening Rios Bravo

Marcos Sergio Hernández Jirón 

Emmanuel Gutiérrez 

Jimmy Antonio Bonilla

Freddy Quezada

Mariví Andino 

Freydell Andino

María Verónica Herrera Galeano 

Bladimir Pallés 

Julio Berríos 

Julio Sevilla

Gabriela Morales

Adela Tercero

Victor Ticay

Released

Tony Palacios

Alester Sáenz 

José Gustavo Sandino Ochoa 

Ismael Serrano

Jader Hernández

Miguel Mántica 

Gerardo Rodríguez 

Raúl Zamora 

Mykel Monterrey

Marcos Díaz Prado 

Fernando Calero

Carlos Avilés 

Héctor Treminio 

Silvio Fonseca

Pablo Villafranca

Óscar Escoto 

Isidro Mora

Yesner Cipriano Pineda Meneses

Ramón Esteban Angulo Reyes 

Álvaro Toledo 

Cristóbal Gadea 

Iván Centeno 

Julio Ricardo Norori

Osman José Amador Guillén 

Fernando Zamora Silva

Leonardo Guevara Gutiérrez 

Eugenio Rodríguez Benavides 

Jaime Iván Montesinos Sauceda 

Enrique Martínez 

Oscar Benavidez

Sergio Cárdenas 

Melkin Sequeira

Darvin Leiva

José Luis Díaz 

Raúl Antonio Vega 

Sadiel Eugarrios

Ramiro Tijerino

Rolando Álvarez