Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Nicaragua
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Sentence: 12 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: December//2023
Date of Sentencing: March/19/2024
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Association Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role
Nature of Charges: Embezzlement & Fraud
Harry Lening Rios Bravo
Extra Bio Info:
Harry Lening Rios Bravo is imprisoned for his religious affiliation and religious leadership role.
In December 2023, Nicaraguan police arrested Bravo, a pastor with the Puerta de la Montaña Ministry, on dubious "money laundering charges" amid a crackdown on religious communities.
On March 19, 2024, the Fifth District Criminal Court sentenced Bravo to 12 years in prison. Bravo was also fined $80 million.
Related cases: Marcos Sergio Hernández Jirón, Manuel de Jesús Ríos Flores, José Luis Orozco Urrutia, Álvaro Daniel Escobar Cabrera, Juan Carlos Chavarría Zapata, Juan Luis Moncada, Orvin Alexis Moncada Castellano, César Facundo Burgalin Miranda, Walner Omier Blandón Ochoa, Marisela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz
Sources:
- Photo attributed to ADF International and Mountain Gateway Order, Inc.
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Nicaragua
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Sentence: 12 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: December//2023
Date of Sentencing: March/19/2024
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Association Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role
Nature of Charges: Embezzlement & Fraud
Marcos Sergio Hernández Jirón
Extra Bio Info:
Marcos Sergio Hernández Jirón is imprisoned for his religious affiliation and religious leadership role.
In December 2023, Nicaraguan police arrested Jirón, a pastor with the Puerta de la Montaña Ministry, on dubious "money laundering charges" amid a crackdown on religious communities.
On March 19, 2024, the Fifth District Criminal Court sentenced Jirón to 12 years in prison. Jirón was also fined $80 million.
Related cases: Harry Lening Rios Bravo, Manuel de Jesús Ríos Flores, José Luis Orozco Urrutia, Álvaro Daniel Escobar Cabrera, Juan Carlos Chavarría Zapata, Juan Luis Moncada, Orvin Alexis Moncada Castellano, César Facundo Burgalin Miranda, Walner Omier Blandón Ochoa, Marisela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz
Sources:
- Photo attributed to ADF International and Mountain Gateway Order, Inc.
May 24
May 24th 2:00pm
USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J. testified at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing: "Freedom of Belief: Countering Religious Violence."
View the recording here.