christians – FoRB in Full

‘God will not get you out of here’: A pastor’s experience of detention in Venezuela

Posted on 06/07/202630/07/2026 by cswpress in Latin America, Venezuela

In May 2026, evangelical pastor Armando Montero* received a summons from the country’s security agency.

The pastor, who has a second job as a software developer had been asked give evidence in a case against a former client of his, for whom he had designed a piece of software to manage sales for a digital raffle business offering vehicles and apartments as prizes.

The model had become increasingly popular. Numerous influencers replicated it, and some later came under investigation for alleged links to money-laundering operations. When authorities launched raids against those involved in these raffle schemes, Armando’s former client left the country, despite his business apparently operating legally, holding the necessary permits and meeting its tax obligations.

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«Dios no te va a sacar de aquí»: la experiencia de un pastor detenido en Venezuela

Posted on 06/07/2026 by cswpress in español, Latin America ES, Venezuela ES

En mayo de 2026, el pastor evangélico Armando Montero* recibió una citación de un organismo de seguridad del Estado.

El pastor, que además trabaja como desarrollador de software, fue convocado para rendir declaración en un caso relacionado con un antiguo cliente para quien había diseñado un programa destinado a gestionar las ventas de un negocio de rifas digitales que ofrecía vehículos y apartamentos como premios.

Este modelo de negocio se había vuelto cada vez más popular. Numerosos influencers lo replicaron, pero después terminaron siendo investigados por presuntos vínculos con operaciones de lavado de dinero. Cuando las autoridades realizaron allanamientos contra personas involucradas en estos esquemas de rifas, el antiguo cliente de Armando abandonó el país, a pesar de que —aparentemente— su empresa operaba de manera legal, contaba con los permisos necesarios y cumplía con sus obligaciones tributarias.

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A generation determined: How Cuba’s Christian influencers have caught the regime off-guard

Posted on 06/05/202607/05/2026 by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America

It is no secret that for 67 years the Cuban people have been oppressed under a deceptive discourse of victory and prosperity, which with each decade has only drifted further from the dream, revealing the true nightmare of the failure and misery of their so-called revolution.

While many in earlier generations accepted the illusory utopia to survive, today’s generation has awakened to the advance of technology, connectivity and the cyber world in a way that not even a dictatorship can contain. And, although failure has been tolerated and its reality evaded for almost seven decades, in just eight years young Cubans have become the protagonists of a new revolution on the island; their only weapons the truth and a mobile phone.

This snowball effect became internationally visible with the San Isidro Movement (MSI), which emerged in September 2018 in response to Decree 349, a law requiring artists to obtain prior permission for public and private exhibitions and performances, meant to control artistic expression. Many of the most prominent critics of that law – such as performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and rapper Maykel Castillo Pérez, better known as Maykel Osorbo – unknowingly paved the way for their future arrests.

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Una generación decidida: Cómo los jóvenes influencers cristianos de Cuba han tomado por sorpresa al régimen.

Posted on 06/05/202629/05/2026 by cswpress in Cuba ES, español, Latin America ES

No es un secreto que durante 67 años el pueblo cubano ha sido oprimido bajo un discurso de victoria y prosperidad que, con cada década, se ha alejado más del sueño, revelando la verdadera pesadilla del fracaso y la miseria de su mal llamada revolución.

Mientras que muchos en generaciones anteriores aceptaron la utopía ilusoria para sobrevivir, la generación actual ha despertado gracias al avance de la tecnología, la conectividad y el mundo digital de una manera que ni siquiera una dictadura puede contener. Y, aunque el fracaso se ha tolerado y su realidad se ha eludido durante casi siete décadas, en tan solo ocho años los jóvenes cubanos se han convertido en protagonistas de una nueva revolución en la isla, cuyas únicas armas son la verdad y un teléfono móvil.

Este efecto bola de nieve se hizo visible internacionalmente con el Movimiento San Isidro (MSI), que surgió en septiembre de 2018 en respuesta al Decreto 349, una ley que obliga a los artistas a obtener permiso previo para exposiciones y presentaciones públicas y privadas, con el fin de controlar la expresión artística. Muchos de los críticos más destacados de esa ley, como el artista visual Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara y el rapero Maykel Castillo Pérez (‘Maykel Osorbo’), allanaron sin saberlo el camino para sus futuras detenciones.

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Claims of freedom of religion or belief in Nicaragua are greatly exaggerated

Posted on 23/04/2026 by cswpress in Latin America, Nicaragua

On 2 April, during a Maundy Thursday Chrism Mass, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes addressed hundreds of Roman Catholic Church leaders who had filled the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua. He delivered a full sermon, but one particular quote of his was seized upon by Sputnik World, a Russian state-owned news agency:

‘People have been able to approach their churches with complete generosity, with complete freedom, and are living their faith. I believe that is the most important thing.’

The next day – Good Friday – the state-controlled media outlet Canal 4 Nicaragua shared a photo of the cardinal leading a procession outside a church on its Facebook page. The post generated 248 comments, among which the following stood out, each receiving dozens of likes:

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