Nicaragua on Tuesday ordered the closure and seizure of assets of Radio Maria, a Catholic radio station run by prominent government critic Bishop Rolando Alvarez. Alvarez had been exiled to the Vatican after being released from house arrest on treason charges. The decision was announced via the government’s official gazette, effectively stripping Radio Maria and 12 other mostly religious NGOs of their legal statuses.
Authorities accuse Radio Maria of failing to report financial statements from 2019 to 2023. The station’s assets had already been frozen since April, preventing it from receiving donations. This move is part of a wider crackdown aimed at NGOs by the Nicaraguan government. In 2022, the government toughened laws on civil associations and NGOs with the introduction of a Foreign Agent Bill, which mandates entities receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Compliance with these laws is seen as impractical, as they include stringent bureaucratic requirements.
The crackdown has escalated since the 2018 protests, which President Daniel Ortega viewed as an attempted coup. During these protests, churches provided refuge to demonstrators and religious leaders spoke out against government actions. As a result, the government has continually targeted the Catholic Church and its clergy. Since the protests, Nicaragua has shuttered approximately 3,600 NGOs. Such measures have significantly impacted press freedom in the country, with Reporters Without Borders ranking Nicaragua 163rd on its 2024 Press Freedom Index.
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