The clearest memory that Lucía Pineda Ubau, director of the digital media 100%Noticias, has about the Nicaraguan journalist Fabiola Tercero, is that when she finished her day, she would go to a sofa to read a book.
“She was a disciplined person, she liked to read, when she finished her days she was on a sofa with a book reading, that’s where her love for reading comes from, of sharing books. That’s how I remember her,” he told the magazine. Voice of America Pineda Ubau, who was head of Tercero from 2014 to 2016.
Fabiola Tercero is a Nicaraguan philologist and is considered the first journalist to be reported missing in the midst of the political crisis that Nicaragua is experiencing and with reports of harassment of journalists, activists and writers.
The last time anyone heard from her was on July 12, 2024. Tercero had moved away from journalism and dedicated herself to promoting literature and giving away books in Nicaragua. In fact, she founded an initiative she called “El Rincón de Fabi.” , which consisted of carrying out literary exchanges.
Tercero also sympathized with feminist movements in Nicaragua.
“She [Fabiola] It is the profile that the regime generally subjects to persecution,” said Pineda Ubau. “Anyone who is in Nicaragua and under the characteristics they had: journalist, feminist, who gave away books that generated thoughts in the population, that is prohibited.”
Jackson Orozco, another Nicaraguan journalist who worked alongside Tercero for a long time, mentions that “the empathy” that characterized the journalist led her to open up to new spaces to promote literature.
“The most special thing about her is that she was a colleague who was very open to forming relationships with everyone easily.” “That’s why he later dedicated himself to giving away books, I think it was a nice initiative. It was interesting because it promoted reading and people’s interest in scrutinizing books and learning about various topics, but it was risky.”
The Nicaraguan government has not commented on the allegations of Tercero’s disappearance, despite the fact that demands are increasing nationally and internationally. There is also no known criminal accusation against the journalist.
The Latin American Office of Reporters Without Borders, a European international non-profit organization, said that the only thing known about Tercero is that she disappeared “just after reporting a raid on her home.”
“There are legitimate reasons to suspect that government officials may be involved, and it is the responsibility of the Nicaraguan authorities to immediately present any information regarding their whereabouts,” Artur Romeu, director of Reporters Without Borders’ Latin America Bureau, said in a statement.
They fear it is a new pattern
Julio López, representative of the organization of Independent Journalists and Communicators of Nicaragua (PCIN), the case of journalist Tercero is a new repressive escalation by the government of President Daniel Ortega against the independent press.
“This can be considered a new pattern, not exclusively of journalists, but a new pattern of repression because we know that there are other cases in the same situation as Fabiola. These cases were preceded by surveillance and raids on their homes,” López stressed.
In Nicaragua there are more than 270 journalists exiled in Costa Rica and the United States after the political crisis which began in 2018 and the Central American country has positioned itself in last place in the Global Index of Freedom of Expression and Press, known as the Chapultepec Index, prepared by the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) based on different parameters to determine whether a nation’s institutions favor and defend the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
This 2024, Nicaragua was rated with a 6.51, the lowest score on a scale of 100, just below the score of Venezuela (6.52) and well below the 78.65 of Chile, the best evaluated country in the index. In last year’s exam, Nicaragua obtained an 8.50, so the new grade reflects a continuous deterioration of freedoms in the country.
“The State has the obligation to report on her particular situation, but has refused to provide any information about her. The people recently released from prison and sent to Guatemala have stated that they never saw her in the different prisons. Several organizations and Journalists looked for her in Guatemala to see if she was on the list of released people,” López lamented.
The Nicaraguan government released 135 political prisoners and sent them to Guatemala. Third was not included in the list.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
