U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) signed a letter to President Joe Biden asking for sanctions on Nicaragua over religious persecution. U.S. Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also signed the letter.
The call on sanctions came after the senators learned of the religious persecution of a non-profit organization founded by an Alabama man, Jon Britton Hancock. Mountain Gateway operates in Nicaragua, and after reaching the masses, 11 pastors and two attorneys with the organization were arrested last year.
The imprisoned have not been allowed to have contact with the outside world and have not been presented with official documentation on charges.
“The unjust imprisonment of these religious leaders further confirms the Ortega-Murillo regime’s corruption and coordination with the regimes in Venezuela and Cuba in an oppressive campaign of destabilization in the Western Hemisphere,” the letter states.
Mountain Gateway had approval of the Nicaraguan government prior to holding events and training pastors. Hancock said the nonprofit has worked successfully with the government for years. The organization also offered disaster recovery, feeding, clothing and started churches in Nicaragua.
The letter stated the arrests are an example of ongoing religious persecution of Christians and of the violent abuses against those who oppose the Ortega-Murillo regime.
“The persecution by the Ortega-Murillo regime on the Catholic Church began in 2018 and has only escalated, as they have expelled several Catholic and Christian missions and charities,” the letter continues. “Mountain Gateway is the latest victim of the regime’s religious tyranny, and I urge you to use additional targeted sanctions and all available authorities to hold this repressive regime accountable. This administration must stand strong against the thugs who are oppressing the people of Nicaragua, as well as Venezuela and Cuba, and we must stand with the Nicaraguan people and pressure the Ortega-Murillo regime until religious freedom and human rights is restored, democracy upheld and the release of all political prisoners is secured.”
240314 Biden on Nicaragua by Erica Thomas on Scribd
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