The government of Daniel Ortega continues escalating its criminalisation of journalists in Nicaragua, in an attempt to achieve a news blackout. The arrest, imprisonment and charges against journalist Víctor Ticay in May 2023, are yet another sign of the social, cultural, and political crisis taking place in the country due to the systematic violation of human rights.
On 19 May 2023, the Nicaraguan National Prosecutor’s Office charged Victor Ticay with the alleged crimes of treason and cybercrime, according to news reports. For these crimes he could face up to ten years in prison and lose his nationality. Ticay has been detained in Police District #3, according to family members and public reports, since 6 April 2023, after he reported on Facebook about a Catholic celebration on 5 April 2023. Daniel Ortega’s government has banned religious expression in public spaces.
According to public information, the journalist was detained and held incommunicado for nearly 40 days, in which time he was neither charged nor released, nor were his relatives informed of his whereabouts or the reasons for his detention. Ticay is a contributor to Canal 10 and director of the website La Portada, where he has documented violations of freedom of expression and press freedom in Nicaragua.
In addition to Ticay, two other journalists have been prosecuted in the past month for allegedly spreading false news. On 3 May, Hazel Zamora, the director of Doce Noticias and correspondent for Canal 10, and William Aragón, former correspondent for La Prensa, were arrested in the city of Bluefields, and ordered to report daily to court.
On 31 March, a Report by the UN Group of Experts on Human Rights in Nicaragua detailed the gravity of the assault on human rights in Nicaragua and confirmed the need for continued international monitoring in the country. The report set out evidence of widespread human rights violations perpetrated by the Nicaraguan authorities, including killings, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, deportations and politically-motivated persecution, which constitute crimes against humanity. It further concluded that the violations are the “product of the deliberate dismantling of democratic institutions and the destruction of civic space”.
The undersigned organisations demand the immediate release of journalist Víctor Ticay, as well as the lifting of the measures restricting the freedom of Hazel Zamora and William Aragón, and urge the Nicaraguan authorities to put an end to the repression against dissident voices in Nicaragua. The organisations will continue to monitor and raise awareness of the attacks on freedom of expression in Nicaragua.
