They Took His Bible. They Took His Glasses. They Cut His Water. Pastor Efren Vilchez Has Rotted in a Nicaraguan Prison for 4 Years Over Words
Nicaraguan Protestant pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López has been imprisoned for four years at the notorious Jorge Navarro National Penitentiary System (La Modelo) on what Christian Solidarity Worldwide calls fabricated charges of aggravated rape and psychological harm. He was arrested on...
23 Year Sentence on Trumped Up Charges as CSW Delivers Petitions to 8 Nicaraguan Embassies and Religious Freedom Violations Jump to 309 in a Single Year
Nicaraguan Protestant pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López has been imprisoned for four years at the notorious Jorge Navarro National Penitentiary System (La Modelo) on what Christian Solidarity Worldwide calls fabricated charges of aggravated rape and psychological harm. He was arrested on 15 May 2022, three days after his arrest authorities laid the charges, and in September 2022 a court sentenced him to 23 years.
CSW says the truth is simpler. Vílchez criticised President Daniel Ortega and co president Rosario Murillo. The charges are revenge.
How Nicaragua's Ortega Regime Tortures a Protestant Pastor With Bureaucratic Cruelty
The conditions are brutal. His Bible was confiscated. His glasses were confiscated. He has been denied books and adequate medical care.
Since August 2024, his daily water has been restricted to one small container. Relatives are blocked from delivering food and medication.
CSW Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl declared: "We call on the government of Nicaragua to release him immediately and without condition." An international petition with over 1,000 signatures has been delivered to Nicaraguan embassies in eight countries. The broader picture is grim: CSW documented 309 religious freedom violations in Nicaragua in 2025, up from 222 the year before.
The Crusader's Opinion
The Ortega regime is conducting a slow strangulation of Nicaragua's Christian Church. Pastor Vílchez is just one name. Catholic bishops have been expelled. Evangelical pastors have been imprisoned. Religious freedom violations climbed by 40 percent in one year. The Sandinistas are no longer just an authoritarian regime. They are an anti Christian regime. Western governments must impose visa bans and asset freezes on every Nicaraguan official enforcing this persecution. Christians must pray, donate, and demand action.
Take Action
- Sign: The CSW petition for Pastor Vílchez's release
- Donate: Christian Solidarity Worldwide
- Pray: For Pastor Efrén Vílchez López and his family
- Contact: Your senator demanding sanctions on Nicaragua officials
- Share: The 309 violations statistic and his name
