(WND)—Travelers who may have any reason to visit Nicaragua since Daniel Ortega threw out democracy and changed the constitution in order to maintain his power now are being warned against carrying with them a simple acknowledgement of a Christian faith: A Bible.
They are banned.
A report at Protestia explained authorities there have banned tourists from bringing in Bibles.
It is because of restrictions issued by Ortega, the dictator, and his wife, “Vice President” Rosario Murillo, who rules alongside Ortega.
It is the international transport company Tica Bus that told consumers there is a new set of items prohibited from entering Nicaragua: “Firearms, sharp objects and perishable food,” and now, “drones, magazines, printed newspapers and Bibles.”
Multiple travelers and human-rights organizations have expressed concern.
“The company stated that the restrictions stem from regulations notified by Nicaraguan authorities to international transport companies operating in the region,” the report said.
A Spanish-language news source, CA360, said such bans are typical in “this authoritarian context, given that Ortega and his wife shut down the independent press in 2022 and have jailed or killed hundreds of opponents, real or perceived.”
They did confirm that banning Bibles is a new precedent.
But it’s not the first foray into anti-Christian actions by the duo, the report said. “Ortega and his wicked wife accused the church of supporting an attempted coup d’état in 2018, which saw rare mass protests against his leadership and resulted in hundreds of imprisonments,”
The attacks on religious freedom in the Central American nation have accompanied Ortega’s rise in power, the report said, with dozens of Catholic priests arrested or exiled over the years.
Protestia explained, “At the same time, entire congregations, including orders and movements of consecrated life, have been expelled from the country.”
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