Nicaragua / Americas

  
A memorial in Managua, Nicaragua for demonstrators killed during protests against the government's plan to reform pensions. At least one journalist has been killed while covering the protests, according to reports. (Reuters/Jorge Cabrera)

Journalist killed while covering protests in eastern Nicaragua

New York, April 24, 2018–Nicaraguan authorities should investigate journalist Ángel Eduardo Gahona’s death and ensure that reporters can do their work without fear of violence or censorship, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Gahona, the director of the local, independent television program El Meridiano, was fatally shot on April 21 while covering protests against…

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In Managua, Nicaragua, riot police take cover during clashes with university students protesting pension reform on April 20, 2018. At least nine journalists were injured while covering the demonstrations, according to reports. (Reuters/Oswaldo Rivas)

In Nicaragua, TV channels blocked, journalists injured while covering pension protests

New York, April 20, 2018–At least nine journalists have been injured and at least five independent television channels have been blocked in Nicaragua, as escalating protests against pension reform since April 18 have left at least three people dead, according to news reports.

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Students clash with police during protests in Managua on April 19, over planned reforms to Nicaragua's social security system. (Reuters/Oswaldo Rivas)

CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering protests in Nicaragua

Demonstrations began in Nicaragua on April 18, as thousands of civilians in several cities protested changes to the country’s social security system, according to reports. At least three people, including a protester and a police officer, were killed in clashes, The Associated Press reported.

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Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega with his wife, Rosario Murillo, at a memorial for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in 2014. Independent journalists say Murillo controls press access to Ortega. (Reuters/Oswaldo Rivas)

Long silence from Nicaragua’s president as first lady keeps press at arm’s length

It’s been nearly 3,000 days since Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega last held a news conference, according to the opposition newspaper La Prensa. But when journalists complain about the lack of access to Ortega they often direct their ire not at the president but at the first lady, Rosario Murillo.

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HKND Group chairman Wang Jing celebrates the start of work on Nicaragua's interoceanic waterway in December. Reporters say little information has been released on the $50 billion project. (AFP/STR)

Reporters covering Nicaragua waterway project obstructed by lack of information

When Nicaragua began preliminary work on an interoceanic waterway designed to handle ships too big for the Panama Canal, some of the foreign correspondents who had flown in to cover the December groundbreaking were left high and dry.

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CPJ urges OAS not to weaken human rights system

Dear OAS Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Ahead of the assembly of the Organization of American States on Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to oppose any attempts to debilitate the regional human rights system. The failure of member states to preserve the autonomy and independence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its special rapporteur on freedom of expression would make citizens throughout the hemisphere more vulnerable to human rights violations and represent a blow to democracy in the Americas.

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Attacks on the Press: How the Americas Failed Press Freedom

A system to defend free expression is under attack from foes and former allies. By Carlos Lauría

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Attacks on the Press: Beyond Article 19

The right to news and opinion is enshrined in international law. It’s not enough. By Joel Simon

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Attacks on the Press in 2011: State Media As Anti-Media Tool

In some Latin American countries, state-owned media are used not only for propaganda but as platforms to smear critics, including journalists. Some elected leaders have even invested in large multimedia holdings to further their agendas. By Carlos Lauría

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The media strategy of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, shown after casting his ballot in Sunday's election, is to ignore journalists. (AP)

Secretive Ortega frustrates Nicaraguan press

It used to be that covering the Nicaraguan presidency was a coveted job for reporters. Now, it’s a frustrating exercise that borders on stenography.

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