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6 women detained, imprisoned amid Nicaragua’s crackdown on Christians
In Nicaragua, a systematic crackdown on Christians has led to the detention and imprisonment of six women over the past year, according to a persecution watchdog, which says these incidents, involving five Catholics and one Protestant, reveal a pattern of religious persecution under President Daniel Ortega’s regime.
Ortega, who secured a controversial fifth term in 2021, and his regime of the far-left Sandinista National Liberation Front, have been criticized for suppressing religious groups, opposition, journalists and activists for opposing human rights abuses. The regime arrests them under ambiguous national security laws and other charges.
María Asunción Salgado, a Catholic, was arrested on Oct. 7, 2023, while attending a service at Nuestra Señora de Asuncion parish in the Diocese of Estelí. She, along with two others, was detained for “religious belief, activity and association,” says the U.S.-based group International Christian Concern.
Similarly, Evelyn Guillén was taken into custody on Aug. 5, 2023, for her “religious activity and expression,” specifically after displaying a poster advocating for the release of Bishop Rolando Alvarez, an outspoken critic of the regime.
Alvarez, who was detained and later exiled to the Vatican, had been vocal about liberties being divine rights, a stance that led to his arrest. During her detention, Guillén has been denied medical treatment.
On Aug. 19, 2023, Adela Tercero and Gabriela Morales were arrested for allegedly spreading false information and “undermining national security.” Although these charges were eventually dropped, both were convicted of drug trafficking after allegedly being found with marijuana. Their affiliations with Jesuit educational institutions, known for their active role in anti-regime protests, seemingly made them targets.
Maricarmen Espinosa Segura, another detainee, was arrested in December 2023 on charges of money laundering, a common accusation used by the Ortega regime to imprison political opponents. She received a 10-year sentence and an $80 million fine on March 19, for her involvement with Puerta de la Montaña Ministry, part of the U.S.-based Mountain Gateway Christian group. The group, known for organizing large evangelical events, is viewed by the Nicaraguan government as a threat to its authority.
Marisela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz, associated with the same ministry, faced similar charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $80 million for money laundering.
Seven detained Catholic priests were recently exiled to Rome.
The clergy, detained by the National Police in the Diocese of Matagalpa under Bishop Álvarez, were held under house arrest and at the National Inter-Diocesan Seminary of Our Lady of Fátima before their expulsion. The exiled group includes senior diocese leaders Fathers René Vega Matamoros and Edgard Sacasa, who led the diocese following Bishop Álvarez’s earlier exile.
The crackdown has not only affected individuals but also religious institutions.
The Nicaraguan government has also canceled the legal registration of 1,500 nonprofit organizations, including 695 religious groups spanning Catholic, Evangelical and Pentecostal denominations. The move, published in the government Gazette, La Gaceta, ostensibly targets organizations for failing to comply with financial reporting requirements, but is widely seen as a further clampdown on religious freedom.
Legal experts and activists within Nicaragua have condemned these actions.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has documented the increasing repression against religious communities in Nicaragua, noting threats and surveillance of church services. Ortega’s government has repeatedly been criticized for its heavy-handed tactics against opposition, including the suppression of protests and arbitrary detentions.
Sources:Christian Post
China — In statements on social media and state-owned media platforms, China is celebrating an increase in government persecution of religious minorities in 2024.
The Chinese government views religious freedom as a threat to the exclusive loyalty it believes is owed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules the country, and broadly labels non-state religious groups as cults regardless of their actual beliefs.
“China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024,” the Global Times, a media outlet run by the CCP, reported last month. “They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”
The word rendered as “cult” in the Global Times report is xie jiao, an amorphous term apparently dating back to the Ming Dynasty. It was used to designate movements or beliefs deemed anti-government or that failed to comply with the strict principles of the CCP.
In a statement on the Chinese messaging app and social media platform WeChat, China’s Ministry of Public Security boasted of increased spending on technology and manpower to combat independent religious organizations in a repressive campaign that has included crackdowns on the independent Christian house church movement.
China is known to have forced abortions on its citizens, sterilized women without their consent, and murdered religious minorities to sell their organs on the black market. Christian home churches are an attempt to escape government scrutiny, but even they are often raided and their members arrested on charges of working against the interests of the state.
China is a world leader in the use of technology to surveil and repress its citizens. While the full extent of its surveillance apparatus is unknown, research has shown that it operates a system that aims to track every citizen’s movement to gain insight into their loyalty to the CCP. From mundane details like what a person wears to larger observations like who they associate with, the system works to track and understand the loyalty of each citizen.
Chinese government officials use the data captured by this system to track and control those it deems a danger to the state. Notably, this includes anybody associated with the unregistered house church movement and anyone else who might desire to practice religion outside the confines of the state-run institutions.
Sources:persecution
നൈജീരിയയിലെ ഔച്ചി കത്തോലിക്കാ രൂപതയിലെ ഇടവക റെക്ടറിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഫാ. ഫിലിപ്പ് എക്വേലിയെയും ഒരു വൈദികാർഥിയെയും അക്രമികൾ തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോയി. “എഡോ സ്റ്റേറ്റിലെ എറ്റ്സാക്കോ ഈസ്റ്റ് എൽ ജി എ യിലെ ഇവിയുഖുവ-അജെനെബോഡിലുള്ള സെന്റ് പീറ്റർ കത്തോലിക്കാ പള്ളിയിലെ വൈദികരുടെ റെക്ടറിയും പള്ളിയും തോക്കുധാരികൾ ആക്രമിച്ചു” – മാർച്ച് നാലിന് പുറത്തിറക്കിയ ഒരു പ്രസ്താവനയിൽ നൈജീരിയൻ രൂപതയുടെ കമ്മ്യൂണിക്കേഷൻ ഡയറക്ടർ ഫാ. പീറ്റർ എഗിലെവ പറയുന്നു.
“റെക്ടറിയിലെയും പള്ളിയിലെയും വാതിലുകളും ജനലുകളും അക്രമികൾ വെടിവച്ച് തകർത്തു. തുടർന്ന് ഫാ. ഫിലിപ്പ് എക്വേലിയെയും മേജർ സെമിനാരി വിദ്യാർഥിയെയും തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോകുകയായിരുന്നു. അക്രമികൾ ആയുധങ്ങൾ കാട്ടി ഭീഷണിപ്പെടുത്തിയാണ് അവരെ വനത്തിലേക്ക് കൊണ്ടുപോയത്” – ഫാ. എഗിലെവ വിവരിക്കുന്നു. തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോകപ്പെട്ടവരുമായി ഇതുവരെ യാതൊരു ആശയവിനിമയവും നടന്നിട്ടില്ലെന്ന് ഫാ. എഗിലെവ പറയുന്നു. തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോകപ്പെട്ടവർ പരിക്കേൽക്കാതെ മോചിതരാകുന്നതിനായി എല്ലാവരും പ്രാർഥിക്കണമെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം അഭ്യർഥിച്ചു.
2003 ഫെബ്രുവരി 22-ന് ഉദ്ഘാടനം ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ട ഔച്ചി കത്തോലിക്കാ രൂപത, അതിന്റെ ഉദ്ഘാടനത്തിന്റെ ഇരുപത്തിരണ്ടാം വാർഷികം ആഘോഷിച്ചത് അടുത്തിടെയാണ്. കഴിഞ്ഞ 5 വർഷത്തിനുള്ളിൽ, ഈ രൂപതയിലെ എട്ടിലധികം വൈദികരെ തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോയിട്ടുണ്ട്. 2022-ൽ ഒരാൾ ക്രൂരമായി കൊല്ലപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്തെന്നു ഫാ. എഗിലെവ കൂട്ടിച്ചേർത്തു.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
The Edo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli and Seminarian Peter Andrew by suspected herders at St. Peter Catholic Church, Ivukwa community, Etsako East Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson, Moses Yamu, in a statement on Tuesday, said operatives killed one of the suspected kidnappers while four others were arrested.
Yamu said, “On March 3, 2025, at about 11:30 pm, the command received a distress call from a concerned citizen that armed men, suspected to be herdsmen, stormed St. Peter Catholic Church in Ivukwa, Etsako East LGA, and abducted Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli and Seminarian Peter Andrew.”
He added that the police, in collaboration with vigilantes and hunters, swiftly moved to the scene and engaged the attackers in a gun duel, leading to the death of one suspect.
“One of the suspects, whose name remains unknown, was neutralised, and his corpse has been deposited at the General Hospital, Agenebode,” he said.
According to the police, items recovered from the suspect include two pairs of rubber shoes, a button phone with two SIM cards, a power bank, a dagger jacket, a bag containing biscuits and Nescafé beverage, and N168,850 in cash.
The four arrested suspects were identified as Murtala Ibrahim (32), Joshua Joseph (31), Sadiq Sheidu (35), and Sunday Bulus (28).
Yamu stated that the Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, had deployed additional anti-kidnapping operatives and Police Mobile Force personnel to work alongside the military in securing the victims’ release and apprehending the abductors.
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Auchi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Dunia, has decried the rising cases of attacks on Catholic priests, urging the government to address the worsening security situation in Edo North.
In a statement issued by the diocese’s Director of Communications, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa, the bishop lamented that Edo North, once peaceful, had become a hotbed for kidnappers.
The statement read, “The Diocese of Auchi announces with sadness that at about 9:30 pm on Monday, March 3, 2025, gunmen violently attacked the rectory and church of St. Peter Catholic Church, Iviukhua-Agenebode, Etsako East LGA.
“Doors and windows in both the rectory and church were pulled down amid heavy gunfire. Local vigilantes engaged the kidnappers, but due to the superior weapons of the attackers, the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli, and a major seminarian serving in the parish were abducted and taken into the surrounding forest.”
The diocese urged Nigerians to join in prayers for the safe release of the abducted priest and seminarian.
As of press time, there had been no contact with the kidnappers.
ഇന്ത്യാ പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് ദൈവസഭയിലെ എഴുത്തുകാരുടെയും മാധ്യമ പ്രവർത്തകരുടെയും ആഗോള കൂട്ടായ്മയായ ഐപിസി ഗ്ലോബൽ മീഡിയ അസോസിയേഷൻ യുഎഇ ചാപ്റ്റർ ഭാരവാഹികളായി പാസ്റ്റർ വിൽസൺ ജോസഫ് (രക്ഷാധികാരി), ലാൽ മാത്യു (പ്രസിഡന്റ്), ഡോ. റോയ് ബി. കുരുവിള (വൈസ് പ്രസിഡന്റ് ), കൊച്ചുമോൻ ആന്താര്യത്ത് (സെക്രട്ടറി) , വിനോദ് എബ്രഹാം (ജോയിൻ്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി), നെവിൻ മങ്ങാട്ട് ( ട്രഷറർ ), പി. സി. ഗ്ലെന്നി (ജനറൽ കൗൺസിൽ അംഗം), പാസ്റ്റർ ജോൺ വർഗീസ്, ആന്റോ അലക്സ് (കമ്മിറ്റി അംഗങ്ങൾ) എന്നിവരെ തിരെഞ്ഞെടുത്തു.
ഐപിസി ഗ്ലോബൽ മീഡിയ അസോസിയേഷൻ അന്തർ ദേശീയ ഭാരവാഹികളായ സജി മത്തായി കാതേട്ട് , ഷിബു മുള്ളംകാട്ടിൽ എന്നിവർ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിന് നേതൃത്വം നൽകി. ഐപിസി യുഎഇ റീജിയൻ പ്രസിഡന്റ് പാസ്റ്റർ വിൽസൺ ജോസഫ് അനുഗ്രഹ പ്രാർത്ഥന നടത്തി. എഴുത്തുകാരനും പി വൈ പി എ കേരള സ്റ്റേറ്റ് ജോയിൻ്റ് സെക്രട്ടറിയുമായ സന്ദീപ് വിളമ്പുകണ്ടം പ്രസംഗിച്ചു.
Sources:christiansworldnews
The IPC Global Media Association, a global association of writers and media workers of the Indian Pentecostal Church of God, has elected Pastor Wilson Joseph (Patron), Lal Mathew (President), Dr. Roy B. Kuruvilla (Vice President), Kochumon Antaryath (Secretary), Vinod Abraham (Joint Secretary), Nevin Mangat (Treasurer), P. C. Glennie (General Council Member), Pastor John Varghese and Anto Alex (Committee Members) as the office bearers of the UAE Chapter of the IPC Global Media Association.
The election was led by IPC Global Media Association International Office Bearers Saji Mathai Kathet and Shibu Mullamkattil. IPC UAE Region President Pastor Wilson Joseph offered the blessing prayer. Sandeep Vilampukandam, writer and PYPA Kerala State Joint Secretary, delivered the speech.
http://theendtimeradio.com
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നൈജീരിയയിൽ വൈദികനെയും വൈദികാർഥിയെയും തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോയി
നൈജീരിയയിലെ ഔച്ചി കത്തോലിക്കാ രൂപതയിലെ ഇടവക റെക്ടറിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഫാ. ഫിലിപ്പ് എക്വേലിയെയും ഒരു വൈദികാർഥിയെയും അക്രമികൾ തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോയി. “എഡോ സ്റ്റേറ്റിലെ എറ്റ്സാക്കോ ഈസ്റ്റ് എൽ ജി...
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