Nicaragua

“It is alarming that, in addition to having confiscated and stripped the assets of a private company, the regime now has the gall to use the media’s assets for propaganda purposes.”

The attack against the international network comes on the heels of other incidents against the press in Nicaragua.

The Ortega administration has systematically shut down human rights organisations and other nongovernmental groups to halt their efforts to expose abuses and the authorities’ inability to provide services.

“Nicaraguan authorities should immediately release all staff members of ‘La Prensa’ held in custody, refrain from filing criminal charges against the outlet’s staff, and cease harassing the outlet.”

A judicial resolution dissolved the ‘Trinchera de la Noticia’ company. The National Police occupied the media outlet’s premises and confiscated all its assets.

On May 24, the United Nations Human Rights Council elected those who will make up the “Group of Experts on Human Rights” which will investigate and promote accountability for the serious human rights violations committed since 2018.

The report provides insights into the patterns of systemic discrimination which marginalise women, and remain deeply entrenched in both the publishing industry and the protocols of literary awards in five Latin American countries.

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted today during its 49th session, by 20 votes in favour, a resolution that establishes for one year a “Group of Experts on Human Rights” with a mandate to investigate and seek accountability for serious human rights violations in Nicaragua.

We condemn the judicial farce taking place in Nicaragua by which Judge Luden Martín Quiroz in the Ninth Criminal District Court of Managua has sentenced independent journalists and workers for the now-defunct Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH) to between 7 and 14 years in prison.

Civil society organisations have published an assessment detailing the wilful inaction of the State of Nicaragua, which has failed to address gross human rights violations as urged by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 46/2.

On February 16, in a closed door hearing in the Ninth Criminal District Court of Managua, a judge sentenced Mendoza to nine years in prison along with a ban on holding political office during that time.

Nicaragua’s human rights record continues to worsen with trials completely lacking in due process. In a joint trial of seven government critics and opposition leaders, the charges are mostly based on the defendants’ exercise of their right to free expression.

IFEX-ALC and other rights groups condemn the Nicaraguan government’s many attempts to threaten and silence the country’s independent press, and stress that respect for the right to freedom of expression and information is crucial for the functioning of democratic societies.

We reiterate our solidarity and support for Nicaraguan media outlets and journalists, including those in exile, as they continue to carry out their work of providing information to the country’s citizens, and call on the Nicaraguan authorities to provide guarantees for press freedom.

Nicaraguan authorities should immediately drop criminal charges against journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro and stop using the country’s justice system to harass and silence the press.

In the face of escalating repression and the systematic persecution of the independent press and dissident voices, we the undersigned organizations, call on the international community to speak up in defense of press freedom and freedom of expression in Nicaragua, to condemn the ongoing violations of these rights, and to appeal for the restoration of conditions to allow free, fair and transparent elections to take place. In addition, we call on the Nicaraguan authorities to respect the right to freedom of expression and to provide guarantees for press freedom.