This August 12 marks one year since the last time the newspaper La Prensa circulated as the only remaining newspaper in Nicaragua. The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo launched an attack against the only print media outlet left in the country. First, he withheld paper and ink from them at Customs and then ordered it to be closed due to alleged money laundering investigations. This Friday also marks a month since its journalists went into exile.
The dictatorship, through the General Directorate of Customs (DGA), retained the raw material for printing the newspaper for more than 75 weeks. La Prensa was forced in its last days to reduce its printing to tabloid size in the edition to save on input materials such as paper and ink. The newspaper had more than 90 years of circulation in Nicaragua.
Related news: IACHR, surprised by “mass exile” of the La Prensa newsroom
At noon on August 13, more than 10 police patrols, accompanied by a dozen government propaganda media employees, raided the newspaper’s facilities to launch an alleged investigation for customs fraud, money laundering, goods and assets. ; but in reality what they started was a campaign through social networks of the dictatorship to try to discredit the media.
Through a publication on social networks, the independent media recalled that “despite everything” they will remain committed and informing citizens. The government measure was considered an act of repression against freedom of expression and of the press because there were never real reasons for such an action carried out by the regime through the DGA.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), through its Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE), recently stated that the regime has broken democratic institutions and has continued its attack against independent journalism, in addition to continuing to violate systematically the human rights of Nicaraguans.
Related news: Workers of La Prensa flee Nicaragua due to attacks by the dictatorship
The report indicates that with “stigmatizing statements and criminalizing accusations” by the Ortega-Murillo administration, the regime has intensified the escalation of violence against journalists. The special rapporteur for freedom of the press of the IACHR, Pedro Vaca, said that “there is a clear hunt for journalists in Nicaragua,” a country where harassment, censorship, persecution, arrests, and arbitrary legal proceedings are part of the actions of the regime.
Likewise, he emphasized that “it affects the right of society to receive information. This has had an impact and it is difficult for the press not only to access official information, but also for people who feel confident to be able to deposit their opinion in order to contribute to the public debate.
In addition, the IACHR rapporteur recalled that there is a “forced exile of journalists” who flee Nicaragua after threats, persecution and harassment by the regime. Regarding the recent attack against the workers of La Prensa, Pedro Vaca maintained that he had never seen a massive forced exile of an entire editorial office of a newspaper.
