Gender: Unspecified

Perpetrator: Nicaragua

Religion or Belief: Unspecified

Sentence: 6 Years Imprisonment

Date of Sentencing: December/24/2023

Date of Release: September/5/2024

Current Status: Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Managing a Religious Institution Religious Activity Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Embezzlement & Fraud

Mariví Andino

Extra Bio Info:

Mariví Andino was imprisoned for their association with a religious organization.

In 2023, Nicaraguan authorities detained Andino, a former employee of the Catholic charity Caritas in the Diocese of Estelí, under unclear circumstances. Andino's arrest came amid intensified crackdowns on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

On December 24, 2023, the government convicted Andino on dubious money laundering charges in relation to their work with Caritas and sentenced them to six years' imprisonment. The government has a pattern of baselessly alleging non-governmental organizations and their employees, including Catholic charitable and educational institutions, are failing to comply with various financial laws as a pretext to shutter them. 

On September 5, 2024, the Nicaraguan government exiled Andino to Guatemala.

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