Managua - Martha Patricia Molina, a researcher and lawyer, and member of the editorial board of newspaper La Prensa, has reported a disturbing trend of religious persecution under the dictatorship led by President Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.

According to Molina's findings, between 2022 and 2023, a total of 65 nuns have been expelled from the country, and six women from different religious congregations have been prohibited from entering, bringing the total to 71 victims in a period of a year and a half.

In her Facebook post on July 29, Molina revealed that the affected religious congregations include the Dominicans of the Annunciation, Missionaries of Charity, Trappist nuns, Women Religious of the Cross of the Sacred Heart, and Sisters of the Fraternity of the Poor Ones of Jesus Christ of Nicaragua. Additionally, ten religious congregations in total have been impacted by the repressive measures.

Molina expressed concerns for her own safety while sharing this information and lamented that the nuns were mostly expelled through psychological violence. She stated that the situation is so severe that finding a congregation with foreign sisters has become difficult, as they have all been expelled from the country.

Moreover, Molina's sources in Nicaragua revealed that attempts by Nicaraguan nuns to return to the country and replace the expelled foreigners have been denied by the regime. The exact number of victims remains uncertain as many congregations have chosen to remain silent and endure the persecution as a form of martyrdom in hopes of bringing about the conversion of the country's dictators and those who support them.

“We have not learned the exact number because most of the congregations have decided to remain silent and offer that martyrdom for the conversion of the dictators of Nicaragua and those who work for them,” she concluded.

The lawyer added that her sources in the country said “the Nicaraguan nuns who have wanted to return to the country, to take the place of the foreigners who were expelled, have been denied entry.”

“They tell me that it is difficult at this time to find a congregation with foreign sisters because they have all been expelled,” she said.

Molina noted that four priests from different dioceses and several women religious have pointed out to her that the number of 71 nuns who are victims of repression is higher than that recorded in her study “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?” where only 32 expelled nuns are mentioned.

Recently, the state perpetrated another repressive act against a congregation of nuns at the beginning of July. The Nicaraguan dictatorship cancelled the legal personality and confiscated the assets of the Sisters of the Fraternity of the Poor Ones of Jesus Christ, leading to the police entering their convent to forcibly expel them.

This incident comes one year after a group of Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was also expelled from Nicaragua. The expelled nuns were later welcomed by the Diocese of Tilaran-Liberia in Costa Rica.

The situation has raised serious concerns about religious freedom and human rights in Nicaragua, with the international community closely watching the deteriorating situation under President Ortega's regime.