Source: www.worthynews.com
Date: July 18, 2024
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MANAGUA/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – There was concern Wednesday about the plight of 11 Christian leaders sentenced to 12 or 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $880 million. Several sources said they have also been barred from contacting their families and lawyers.
Authorities linked to autocratic President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, jailed the Christians recently after nearly 1 million people reportedly attended their massive evangelism rallies.
Organizers said that “Thousands choose Christ” and that “miracles abound” during the gatherings.
The 11 sentenced leaders, who must individually pay $80 million, were imprisoned and convicted on what their supporters view as trumped-up money laundering charges.
The Mountain Gateway group has vehemently denied the allegations, saying the charges appear to have been fabricated as the “authoritarian regime” of Nicaragua felt threatened by •the success” of the outreaches.
U.S.-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International said it supports the legal defense of imprisoned pastors. It took legal steps in cooperation with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, saying they were “fraudulently convicted.”
HUMAN RIGHTS
“No person should be imprisoned or punished for their faith, but that is exactly what has happened with these religious leaders. It is our prayer that Nicaraguan authorities will uphold the human rights and dignity of these pastors and that they will release them from their wrongful imprisonment,” the legal group stressed.
Members of the U.S. Senate, including Republican Senators Rick Scott , Ted Cruz, Katie Britt, and Tommy Tuberville, are also advocating on the imprisoned Christians’ behalf.
In published remarks, they urged the Biden administration to “implement strong, targeted sanctions following the repeated & escalating violations of religious freedom in Nicaragua.”
Alabama Representative Barry Moore is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to get involved, and he’s promoting a House Resolution to apply more pressure on the Nicaraguan government.
“What’s happened to them (the pastors) is a travesty of justice,” Moore told the U.S.-based Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
“This is a ministry that’s been working in Nicaragua for 30 years, and they’ve done several disaster relief programs, including food, jobs, you name it,” he told CBN News.
GOVERNMENT ‘SCARED’
Moore claimed the Nicaraguan government “was scared” by the sudden “massive movement of God.” After that, “hundreds of thousands of people” began responding to the Gospel over the past year.
Missionary Britt Hancock of “Mountain Gateway” said they had led “a nationwide revival in Nicaragua” before the government cracked down.
“I think in some ways those large numbers, those people showing up for those crusades, coming to Christ, made the Nicaraguan government maybe a little nervous, you know? Christ is about freedom and the opportunity to worship and that sort of thing, and I think that, in some ways, the government likes to control people. I think it made them a little nervous,” he said.
“We’d like for the (Biden) Administration to do more,” Rep. Moore said. “They’re not doing what they can.”
He’s asking U.S. Christians “to call their congressmen to ask them to support House Resolution 1019, which has bipartisan support with four Democrats and many more Republicans, to ramp up the pressure to help free the imprisoned pastors.”