Nov 15
Nov 15th 2:00pm
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Nov 15th 3:30pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Crackdown on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a virtual hearing that examined deteriorating conditions for freedom of religion or belief in Nicaragua. The hearing also highlighted opportunities for U.S. policy to support religious actors and communities who are under siege from the government of President Daniel Ortega.
This year, the Nicaraguan government has deepened its pattern of harassment against the Catholic Church, such as subjecting Catholic clergy to direct detention and imprisonment—with some priests facing multiple years in prison on spurious charges. In March, the government expelled the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s chief diplomat in the country, for unexplained reasons. In August, authorities surrounded the home of Bishop Rolando Alvarez—an outspoken critic of the regime—and arrested him and several of his companions. Additionally, the government has turned its wrath on Catholic-affiliated organizations by arbitrarily shutting down charities and expelling their workers, stripping universities of funding and legal status, shutting down news media, and eliminating non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Witnesses documented religious freedom conditions across Nicaragua under the Ortega regime, discussed current U.S. policy and the enforcement of the RENACER ACT to deter the Ortega regime’s abuses against religious communities, and shared recommendations for the U.S. government to support religious freedom in Nicaragua.
- Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Recorded Remarks - Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL)
Recorded Remarks - Nury Turkel, Chair, USCIRF
Prepared Remarks - Frederick A. Davie, Commissioner, USCIRF
Prepared Remarks
- Patrick Ventrell, Director of the Office for Central American Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Panel II
- Manuel Orozco, Director, Migration, Remittances and Development Program, Inter-American Dialogue
Written Testimony - Irela Guevara, Program Director, Outreach Aid to the Americas
Written Testimony - Christopher Ljungquist, Adviser for Latin America, Office of International Justice and Peace, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Written Testimony - Ryan Berg, Director, Americas Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Written Testimony
This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should register online and can email [email protected] for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected] or (202) 702-2778.
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 5 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Belief Religious Business Activity Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role
Nature of Charges: Illegal Business Activity
Yang Jianxin
Extra Bio Info:
Yang Jianxin is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
In early 2021, authorities detained Yang, pastor of a house church, for “conducting illegal business operations” and “printing and purchasing illegal publications" after he reached out to a local printer to print Bibles.
On February 7, 2021, Yang was formally arrested.
On an unspecified date, the Lingbao Court of Sanmenxia City, Henan, reportedly sentenced Yang to five years and six months in prison.
In October 2022, it was reported that the Sanmenxia City Intermediate Court upheld Yang's sentence.
Sources:
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"Yang Jianxin" Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 1 Year, 3 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: January/4/2022
Current Status: Unknown
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Belief Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role Unregistered Religious Activity
Nature of Charges: Illegal Assembly
Geng Zejun
Extra Bio Info:
Geng Zejun was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On December 5, 2021, authorities from Huinong district detained Geng, pastor of the house church Church of the Rock, and others, including his wife, following a raid on a church service. Geng was reportedly held for 15 days and then released.
On January 4, 2022, police summoned Geng for questioning and detained him again for “organizing illegal religious gatherings" after he reportedly continued to hold religious services following his initial arrest.
On July 13, 2022, the Huinong District Court of Shizuishan reportedly tried Geng.
In August 2022, it was reported that Geng had been sentenced to one year and three months in prison reportedly for refusing to join the state-regulated Three-Self Church.
Geng's sentence should have ended in April 2023.