Nicaraguan police detain journalist William Aragón overnight on false news charge
New York, May 5, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist William Aragón, let him work free from harassment, and cease detaining journalists for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At about 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3, police arrested Aragón at his home in the city of Estelí and…
La Prensa’s Juan Lorenzo Holmann: ‘I turned around and said goodbye to Nicaragua’
Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro was on the verge of sleep in his Nicaraguan jail cell when he was issued civilian clothes, taken to the airport, and told to sign a handwritten document agreeing to be deported to the United States. Holmann, the publisher of La Prensa, Nicaragua’s oldest newspaper, had been incarcerated since August 2021….
CPJ: Nicaragua political prisoner release brings ‘sense of relief’
Los Angeles, February 9, 2023 — In response to news reports that Nicaraguan authorities freed and deported 222 political prisoners to the United States on Thursday, including at least one journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The deportation of political prisoners from Nicaragua, including at least one journalist, brings a sense…
Four staff members of Nicaragua’s La Prensa charged with conspiracy, two in detention
Guatemala City, October 14, 2022 — Nicaraguan authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges against staff members of the independent newspaper La Prensa, release two drivers held in custody, and cease harassing the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On September 29, the Nicaraguan prosecutor’s office charged four La Prensa staff members with “conspiracy…
Nicaraguan police raid La Prensa journalists’ homes, detain 2 media workers
Guatemala City, July 14, 2022 — Nicaraguan authorities should immediately release all staff members of La Prensa held in custody, refrain from filing criminal charges against the outlet’s staff, and cease harassing the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 6, police in Managua, the capital, detained two drivers working for the…
Nicaraguan publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann convicted on money laundering charges
New York, March 24, 2022 – Nicaraguan authorities should release publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro from prison immediately, and should ensure that members of the press do not face criminal penalties for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, March 23, at the end of a three-day closed-door trial, a judge…
A press freedom crisis unfolds in Latin America
As the number of journalists imprisoned globally for their work climbs to record highs, cases of those behind bars in Latin America remained relatively low. A total of six – three in Cuba, two in Nicaragua and one in Brazil – were in custody for their work as of December 1, according to the Committee…
Eight press freedom threats to watch ahead of Nicaragua’s presidential elections
On November 7, Nicaraguans are set to go to the polls to vote for president, the culmination of a campaign that has included the detention of opposition candidates, the banning of civil society organizations, and continued suppression of the country’s independent press. Nicaragua’s press freedom environment sharply deteriorated in 2018, when journalists covering protests against…
CPJ joins statement calling on international groups to address press freedom violations in Nicaragua
The Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday joined five other organizations in a joint statement calling on international policymakers and human rights institutions to condemn human rights violations in Nicaragua and pressure authorities to protect press freedom and freedom of expression in the country. The statement documents Nicaraguan authorities’ most recent acts of censorship and harassment…
Nicaraguan police raid La Prensa offices, detain publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann
Guatemala City, August 16, 2021 – Nicaraguan authorities must stop harassing the La Prensa newspaper, allow its staff to enter their offices and report freely, and unconditionally release publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 11 a.m. on August 13, riot police officers raided the independent newspaper’s office in…