The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo continues with its hunt and repressive measures against men and women of the press. The night of this Sunday, May 19, the Ortega Police arrested the journalist Orlando Chávez Esquivel, originally from León.
The organization Freedom of the Press Alerts He reported on his official account on the social network X that, in addition to arresting the communicator, his house was also raided. “Given his family’s claim to police officers for the illegal raid, his brothers Obed and Merary Chávez Esquivel were also arrested,” the agency stated.
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The humanitarian organization also demanded that the Ortega-Murillo regime immediately release the Chávez Esquivel brothers and end the persecution of independent Nicaraguan journalists.
The arrested journalist worked as director of the news program El Metropolitano, which was broadcast from Monday to Friday on Radio La Cariñosa, located in the city of León. He also collaborated with other local news platforms such as Notileon.
Poet was also arrested
In addition to Chávez’s imprisonment, the Police captured the renowned poet, writer and professor of Language and Literature Pedro Alfonso Morales Ruízthe afternoon of May 19.
According to information released by independent media, a group of agents surrounded the residence of the Nicaraguan teacher, located in the city of Telica, northwest of León. When the writer arrived at his house, the Police began the operation to arrest him.
Unofficially, it is known that the reason for the arrest of both citizens is their participation in the presentation of the book “Los Brujos y sus Prodigios”, by the renowned writer Guillermo Rothschuh Tablada.
Initially, the activity had been scheduled in the department of Juigalpa, but was held in León due to an order issued by the Ortega Police, according to a publication de Rothschuh on his personal Facebook account.
Journalism in Nicaragua
Practicing journalism in Nicaragua has been dangerous since Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo attacked the Presidency. The men and women of the press became targets of attacks and state persecution for reporting and exercising their constitutional right.
At least 246 journalists have had to leave the country to protect their physical integrity, according to data from the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED). This number of exiled communicators leaves an information vacuum in the editorial offices of national media, which are under threats of closure if they continue to expose human rights violations.
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«Nicaraguan journalists continue to go into exile. 246 have left their country due to aggressions and attacks by the State of Nicaragua in retaliation for their informative work. The State of Nicaragua must put an end to attacks against journalists and citizens,” the organization highlights.
