Nicaragua / Americas

  

CPJ joins call for Nicaragua government to stop restricting press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined three other human rights organizations in a joint statement commemorating Nicaragua’s national Day of the Journalist and calling on authorities to end the widespread harassment of members of the press, and ensure media outlets and press freedom organizations can work safely. In the statement, CPJ joined three regional…

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Nicaraguan journalist Aníbal Toruño harassed, home raided

Los Angeles, January 8, 2021 — Nicaraguan authorities should cease harassing journalist Aníbal Toruño and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, national police officers raided Toruño’s home in the northwestern city of León, and broke the home’s front door and other furniture, according to news reports, video of…

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Nicaraguan Congress proposes cybercrime legislation criminalizing false news

Managua, Nicaragua, October 1, 2020 – The Nicaraguan Congress should drop proposed cybercrime legislation that would risk imprisoning journalists for their work, and ensure that laws do not restrict the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 28, 70 members of Congress from the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front party presented a…

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Nicaraguan ruling party legislators propose law requiring some media outlets, journalists to register as “foreign agents”

Managua, Nicaragua September 24, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Nicaraguan congress to reject a proposed law that would force media outlets and journalists to register as “foreign agents” if they receive funding or payments from abroad. The law, proposed on September 22, would require individuals and organizations that receive…

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Nicaragua court seizes assets of independent broadcaster Canal 12

Managua, Nicaragua, September 14, 2020 – Nicaraguan authorities should immediately release the assets of independent broadcaster Nicavision Canal 12 and allow all media outlets to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 11, Managua Judge Luden Quiroz García ordered the seizure of the outlet’s assets, including the channel’s main offices, vehicles…

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Nicaraguan journalist David Quintana faces criminal slander suit

Managua, August 19, 2020 — Authorities in Nicaragua should drop the criminal slander proceedings against journalist David Quintana, and the country should reform its speech laws, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 10, Managua residents Nelson Vázquez Oporta and Junieth Dávila Cruz filed a criminal slander suit against Quintana, director of the…

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Nicaraguan journalist Kalúa Salazar faces criminal slander suit over corruption reporting

Managua, August 13, 2020 – Nicaraguan authorities should drop the criminal slander charges against journalist Kalúa Salazar, and ensure media outlets can report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 10, three employees of the mayor’s office in El Rama, in southeastern Nicaragua, filed a criminal slander suit against Salazar, the editor-in-chief…

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Nicaraguan journalist Gerall Chávez and family receive death threats

Managua, July 28, 2020—Nicaraguan authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the threats sent to journalist Gerall Chávez and his family, and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 25, Chávez, a co-founder of the digital media outlet Nicaragua Actual, who lives in exile in Costa Rica, received threatening messages on…

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A protester holds a national flag during a demonstration against President Daniel Ortega's government in Managua, Nicaragua, on February 25, 2020. YouTube has censored independent Nicaraguan news outlets after copyright complaints from Ortega-owned media. (Reuters/Oswaldo Rivas)

YouTube censors independent Nicaraguan news outlets after copyright complaints from Ortega-owned media

Miguel Mora, director of the independent Nicaraguan news outlet 100% Noticias, oversaw its move online after its television broadcast license was revoked by the government in April 2018. He and his colleagues transferred their archives onto two YouTube accounts and used them to continue documenting the government’s repressive response to escalating protests in the months…

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A homeless man wears a face mask against the spread of COVID-19 as he walks past a mural depicting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in Managua on April 9, 2020. Journalist Álvaro Navarro recently described to CPJ his experiences covering the pandemic in Nicaragua. (AFP/Inti Ocon)

Álvaro Navarro on covering COVID-19 in Nicaragua, Central America’s center of virus denial

Over the last two years–since protests and a government crackdown began in April 2018—Nicaraguan journalist Álvaro Navarro and his outlet, news website Artículo 66, have been a vital source of information for people looking for alternatives to the government’s discourse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his team have been on the frontlines, reporting on…

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