At least three Nicaraguan journalists whose nationality was canceled by the government of President Daniel Ortega denounced Wednesday night that their bank accounts were frozen without any explanation.
Aníbal Toruño, director of Radio Darío, an affiliate of the voice of america, He said that his accounts were blocked on March 10 after his appearance before the hearing of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, where he exposed the situation in the country.
“The dictatorship continues to be determined to strike a blow, I am part of the 94 Nicaraguans who have had their nationality taken away and their assets expropriated, but if there is something that they cannot take away from me, it is my right to continue reporting, therefore This terrible action of closing my last accounts is unfortunate,” Toruño declared in a video that was released to the media.
According to Toruño, the money he had in his accounts was over 70 years old and was owned by his family estate and his work. “This attack by the dictator Daniel Ortega has only one meaning and that is to end Radio Darío,” he stressed.
The Nicaraguan journalist Wilfredo Miranda, a contributor to the Spanish newspaper El País, and Sofía Montenegro also made the same complaint, adding that they did not receive any notification from the banks.
Journalist José Cardoza, director of the union called Independent Journalists of Nicaragua, told the VOA that the freezing of the accounts of these reporters “adds to a long list of abuses by the regime against freedom of expression and the independent press in its attempt to silence those critical voices.”
Until now, neither the government authorities nor the private financial system have referred to these complaints by journalists, who from exile report on the Internet.
Nicaragua has been experiencing a political crisis since 2018, when protests against President Daniel Ortega broke out, which were repressed, leaving more than 300 dead and thousands of exiles, including journalists critical of the president.
Ortega has accused the reporters of “coup plotters” and “traitors to the homeland,” which is why their nationality has been canceled and their assets in Nicaragua have been expropriated.
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