{"id":61166,"date":"2026-11-03T10:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T01:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=61166"},"modified":"2026-11-03T13:43:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T04:43:58","slug":"vomk-report-424","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2026\/11\/03\/vomk-report-424\/","title":{"rendered":"NICARAGUA: GOVERNMENT TURNS TO BIBLE TAX AFTER INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY AGAINST BIBLE IMPORT BAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”61174″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Signs announcing a ban on bringing Bibles into Nicaragua have been removed from Nicaragua\u2019s border crossings and transportation hubs, but according to Voice of the Martyrs Korea, it\u2019s not a victory for religious freedom. \u201cThe Marxist government there has simply replaced the Bible ban with a Bible tax,\u201d says Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left|color:%23111111″ google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”” el_class=”headline”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Representative <\/span>Foley says Nicaragua\u2019s government appears to have backed away from its Bible import ban last year in response to international outcry, but restrictions on Christian activities continue to worsen.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span>Taking down<\/span> signs at borders just means hiding the crackdown from the international community,\u201d says <\/span>Representative Foley. She <\/span>says religious restrictions <\/span>were originally targeted at the Catholic church beginning in 2018, when Catholic churches opened their doors to provide medical aid and shelter to anti-government protestors. Those restrictions were expanded in 2022 to include all <\/span>religious organizations<\/span>. \u201cHundreds of churches and ministries were closed at that time\u201d says <\/span>Representative<\/span> Foley. \u201cEvangelism and outreach activities were <\/span>strictly prohibited<\/span>. Hundreds of churches were forcibly closed, and opening new churches has become <\/span>nearly impossible<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]She <\/span>notes that c<\/span>hurches in Nicaragua have <\/span>been required<\/span> to pay taxes on their tithes and offerings since August 2024, when the country\u2019s National Assembly remov<\/span>ed<\/span> tax exemptions for religious groups<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”61170″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cThe <\/span>replacement of the Bible import ban with a <\/span>tax on bringing Bibles into the country<\/span> is <\/span>one more <\/span>tax on religion in <\/span>Nicaragua<\/span><\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> says <\/span>Representative<\/span> Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Nicaragua\u2019s ruling party, <\/span>the Sandinista National Liberation Front, espouses Marxist (atheistic communist) ideology.<\/span> Data from the country <\/span>indicates<\/span> that Catholics compose 28 to 43% of the population, while Protestants account for 38 to 41%, and 8 to 16% show no religious affiliation<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative<\/span> Foley says p<\/span>astors <\/span>tell Voice of the Martyrs that <\/span>government officials routinely attend <\/span>Christian worship <\/span>services to <\/span>monitor<\/span> and intimidate <\/span>attendees, <\/span>and efforts are underway to collect personal data on pastors and church members.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span><\/span>A<\/span>n<\/span> estimated 60 <\/span>to <\/span>80 percent of <\/span>Nicaragua\u2019s <\/span>Protestant churches have submitted to the authority of the government-controlled Federation of Nicaraguan Evangelical Churches,<\/span>\u201d says <\/span>Representative<\/span> Foley. \u201cThat agency <\/span>monitors and censors church teaching, places tight controls on the finances of churches<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> and controls the flow of Christian materials<\/span><\/span>—<\/span><\/span>especially Bibles<\/span><\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”61177″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Nicaraguan churches have to meet highly restrictive legal requirements or risk harsh punishments for non-compliance (VOM file photo).” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]According to <\/span>Representative<\/span> Foley, p<\/span>astors and other Christian leaders who have chosen to remain independent of the <\/span>government <\/span>church federation have faced increasingly harsh treatment, including surveillance, violent physical confrontations, arrest, <\/span>imprisonment<\/span> and exile.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cIn July 2025, Nicaraguan <\/span>Pastor Rudy Palacios and six ministry partners were arrested<\/span>,\u201d says <\/span>Representative<\/span> Foley<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Without any legal proceedings, the seven Christians were held incommunicado for six months. Three were then released with heavy restrictions and regular police check-ins<\/span>. Pastor Palacios <\/span>and two others were <\/span>placed under <\/span>house arrest.<\/span><\/span> One of the Christians <\/span>reportedly <\/span>died<\/span> in custody, and his family was not told the cause of death.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says Voice of the Martyrs Korea <\/span>is scheduled to release its 202<\/span>7<\/span> Global Prayer Guide in December, listing<\/span> Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela a<\/span>mong the more than 70 countries worldwide where Christians face legal restrictions and active persecution. \u201c<\/span>We hope our 2026 Global Prayer Guide reminds Christians around the world that <\/span>Marxism\/Atheism remains one of the main drivers of Christian persecution not only in Asia but in Central and South America as well,\u201d <\/span>she<\/span> says. <\/span>Individuals interested in obtaining a copy of the Voice of the Martyrs Korea 2026 Global Prayer Guide can contact the ministry at 02-2065-0703 or <\/span><\/span>info@vomkorea.com<\/span><\/span><\/a> for more information.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_column][\/vc_column]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”61174″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”Signs announcing a ban on bringing Bibles into Nicaragua have been removed from Nicaragua\u2019s border crossings and transportation hubs, but according to Voice of the …","protected":false},"author":1959,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.6","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1959"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61166"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61187,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61166\/revisions\/61187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}