US Watchdog Identifies Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as Latin America’s Most Aggressive Violators of Religious Freedom
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is sounding the alarm on what it calls an “authoritarian triad” in Latin America—Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—three governments accused of systematically crushing religious freedom and tightening state control over faith communities.
Released Tuesday, the report, Patterns of Religious Repression in Latin America’s Authoritarian Triad, outlines how each regime uses parallel tactics to suppress freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). According to USCIRF, these tactics include harassment of religious leaders, legal and bureaucratic obstacles, state favoritism toward regime-aligned religious groups, and the ongoing closure of civic space that makes free worship increasingly dangerous.
A Coordinated Pattern of Persecution
USCIRF identifies the three nations as the region’s most blatant violators of religious freedom, each following similar authoritarian playbooks:
- – Cuba continues to monitor, detain, and restrict the activities of pastors and independent churches.
- – Nicaragua, under the Ortega-Murillo regime, has expelled clergy, shuttered religious institutions, and seized church properties.
- – Venezuela maintains a hostile environment for religious communities while rewarding groups willing to echo the regime’s political propaganda.
USCIRF noted that all three governments weaponize laws, licensing requirements, and surveillance to intimidate Christians and other faith groups who resist state ideology.
2025 Findings
In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF once again recommended that Cuba and Nicaragua be designated as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) — the U.S. government’s most serious classification for violators of religious freedom. The commission also flagged worrying trends in Venezuela, where the Maduro regime has increasingly targeted faith-based organizations viewed as politically independent.
The report builds on USCIRF hearings earlier this year examining deteriorating conditions in Cuba and Nicaragua, as well as country-specific updates highlighting the deepening crackdown on religious communities. USCIRF said the growing alignment among Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela represents a regional threat—one that undermines basic human rights and emboldens other authoritarian actors across the hemisphere.
Why This Matters
Religious freedom is often the first liberty targeted by authoritarian governments because it creates a power center outside the state. When regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela clamp down on churches, pastors, and faith-based organizations, they are silencing worship and suppressing those that speak to moral truth, human dignity, and accountability. When governments can repress religious liberty at home without consequences, it emboldens other authoritarian nations to follow suit, further destabilizing global human rights norms.
For the United States—and for believers worldwide—these escalating abuses demand attention and a response.
Faith Perspective
Jesus told us that we would face persecution when we follow Christ (John 15:20). Jesus also taught his followers they were to be salt and light in the world – preserving godly values, shining his light in dark places. Believers are commanded to pray for those in authority that they may live peaceful, godly lives. Add these nations, their leaders, and the church to your prayer list as if you yourself were facing the same situation and trust God for deliverance and
