Authorities in Nicaragua have jailed nine pastors for greater than a month on charges that they formed a part of a criminal operation together with three U.S. missionaries, in keeping with a mission organization.
The Nicaraguan Attorney General’s office has charged the three U.S. missionaries of Texas-based Mountain Gateway and 11 Nicaraguans with forming a part of a “criminal structure” involved in money laundering and arranged crime and has reportedly issued warrants for his or her arrest.
“Mountain Gateway would really like to publicly state it denies these allegations, and it’s saddened by this example,” the group said in a press release. “These charges are based on erroneous information, and Mountain Gateway will do all the things in its power to resolve this through diplomatic channels.”
Mountain Gateway, which operates within the Central American country as Puerta de la Montaña, said prosecutors believed the Nicaraguan pastors were under the direction of the mission group’s Jon Britton Hancock, Jacob Britton Hancock and Cassandra Mae Hancock, all U.S. residents, and Nicaraguans Walner Omier Blandón Ochoa and Maricela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz.
“While the Nicaraguan government says the [Nicaraguan] pastors are innocent, the pastors have been imprisoned for over a month with no legal representation or contact with their families,” Mountain Gateway stated. At the identical time, it added that the federal government has since “allowed a lawyer to be appointed to represent the Mountain Gateway Nicaraguan pastors, but has not provided their legal counsel with the charging documents or any files to arrange a defense.”
Mountain Gateway stated it had diligently followed all legal requirements within the U.S. and Nicaragua and had documentation showing the Nicaraguan government approved all funds entering the country and ensured they were used appropriately.
“Nicaragua has revoked the registration of lots of of nonprofit and faith-based organizations within the last five years, including most recently, expelling quite a few members of the Catholic Church and seizing church property,” the group stated. “In these cases, the federal government often includes the charge of cash laundering or other financial charges as the rationale for revocation.”
Mountain Gateway held eight large evangelistic events in Nicaragua last 12 months under strict accounting by in-house staff and budget reviews by the Nicaraguan government, the group stated.
“No members of Mountain Gateway have personally profited from funds sent to Nicaragua for ministry functions,” it said.
The missions group announced on Dec. 22 that the Nicaraguan government had canceled its registration as a ministry within the country.
Nicaragua shut down, confiscated or destroyed 347 Christian buildings from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, the fourth highest worldwide behind only China, India and Nigeria, in keeping with Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List (WWL) of the countries where it’s most difficult to be a Christian. Nicaraguan authorities detained 38 Christians during this era, according the WWL report.
Open government hostility toward Christians through the period resulted in Nicaragua vaulting from fiftieth place the prior 12 months to thirtieth among the many 50 countries where persecution of Christians is worst. The WWL report also cited Nicaragua’s legislative restrictions on religious freedom and the arrest or exile of spiritual leaders.
Mountain Gateway said in its press statement that its U.S. pastors “don’t have anything to cover and have requested to have an attorney appointed to represent them on this legal process.”
“Mountain Gateway doesn’t understand why this is occurring in a rustic that it loves dearly and has worked steadfastly to abide by the federal government’s regulations and laws,” the group stated. “While Mountain Gateway’s attorney and legal team are advising Mountain Gateway to trust the legal system, it does have questions. It appears this might be more politically motivated than legally motivated.”
Imprisoned were nine of Mountain Gateway’s Nicaraguan pastors: Marcos Sergio Hernández Jirón; Harry Lening Rios Bravo; Manuel de Jesús Ríos Flores; José Luis Orozco Urrutia; Álvaro Daniel Escobar Caldera; Juan Carlos Chavarría Zapata; Juan Luis Moncada; Orvin Alexis Moncada Castellano; César Facundo Burgalin Miranda.
The AP reported that the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press statement that 11 Nicaraguans were charged, together with the legal representative and financial manager of Puerta de la Montaña. Prosecutors claimed that detailed investigations into money laundering showed the 13 nationals were allegedly involved in appearing as representatives in the acquisition of real estate.
The government of Daniel Ortega has closed or dissolved 342 religious organizations, including 256 Evangelical Christian associations, 43 Catholic ones and 43 belonging to other churches, in keeping with the AP, citing a December report by Nicaragua Never Again Human Rights Collective. Ortega has been president since 2007, after having previously led the country from 1979 to 1990.
The government has set a hearing for the Nicaraguan pastors on Jan. 26.
Mountain Gateway Order, Inc., based in Dripping Springs, Texas, states on its website that it focuses on discipling national leaders through house churches and company worship and training national pastors to succeed in the lost of their nation. Mountain Gateway also runs a ministry training school within the United States to show believers to take the Gospel into any context or culture.
“Since 2013, Mountain Gateway has served the residents of Nicaragua through discipleship, church planting, feeding and clothing those in need, providing food, water, equipment, and recovery assistance during natural disasters, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in mass evangelistic campaigns,” the group said in its statement.
