On Monday, the government of Nicaragua revoked the legal status of five NGOs, four of them linked to evangelical churches and one promoting agricultural development, and ordered the confiscation of their assets.
Additionally, the Ministry of the Interior approved a request for the “voluntary” closure of another 10 NGOs, including the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Catholic order that had legal status in Nicaragua since 1999, according to resolutions published in the Official Gazette.
In the case of the five canceled organizations, the Ministry of the Interior stated that they “did not report their financial statements for periods ranging from 1 to 12 years as per fiscal periods, with detailed breakdowns of income and expenses.”
These are
- The Foundation for Technological Development in Agriculture and Forestry
- The Evangelistic Ministry Healing, Liberation, Power, and Glory Isaiah 54:17
- The Restoration Ministry Freeing the Captives
- The Christian Church Mount Zion in Nicaragua
- The Evangelistic Ministry Power of God Pentecost
Their assets will be transferred to the state according to the regulations of Law 1115, which governs associations, as per the resolution signed by Minister MarÃa Amelia Coronel Kinloch.
Among the other 10 NGOs that requested voluntary dissolution is Casa Alianza, which worked with at-risk children.
Nicaragua toughened laws on NGOs following the 2018 protests, which, in three months of street blockades and clashes between opponents and government supporters, left more than 300 dead, according to the UN.
Among the nearly 3,500 organizations shut down since 2018 are several linked to the Catholic Church, such as the order of the Friars Minor Franciscans in October and the Society of Jesus in August, after confiscating the Jesuit university of Managua under accusations of “terrorism”, as well as a residence for priests adjacent to the campus.
