Nicaragua Orders Closure of 169 Non-Profit Organizations, Including Churches
09:50 30.08.2024 (Updated: 11:19 30.08.2024)
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MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - In 2023, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accused the Catholic Church of inciting a coup, claiming some priests urged worshipers to overthrow the government and called for his assassination. This led to the arrests and deportations of several clergymen to the Vatican.
The Nicaraguan authorities have ordered the closure of 169 non-profit organizations (NPOs), including 80 religious organizations, according to a decree published in the official gazette on Thursday.
"The above-mentioned organizations failed to comply with their obligations ... as, by not publishing their financial statements for the periods varying from 2 to 30 years ... they interfered with the control and supervision by the General Directorate for Registration and Control of NPOs of the Interior Ministry ... It is therefore decided to approve the liquidation of the legal entity and registration for 169 NPOs mentioned in this document," the decree signed by Nicaraguan Interior Minister Maria Coronel read.
Some 80 organizations added to the list of those to be closed are religious, including the local branch of the Moravian Church, which is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity and dates back to the 15th century. Nicaraguan media reported that since 2018, the government has canceled the registration of over 5,600 NPOs and NGOs in the country for various violations. A decree dated August 19, 2024, disbanded about 1,500 such entities.
