The Nicaraguan newspaper El Nuevo Diario reported that its journalists were threatened after publishing articles about supposed corruption in the government of President Daniel Ortega, according to the local press. The cases of corruption and nepotism are related to the Finance Ministry and the equivalent of the IRS, the newspaper said.
In recent weeks the newspaper has received a series of phone calls and emails. journalist Luis Galeano, who was in charge of the articles, has been a particular target.
El Nuevo Diario said the threats would not "silence" the newspaper "nor Galeano nor any other journalist."
Human rights and journalist organizations, along with other media outlets, condemned the threats against the newspaper, according to La Prensa, emphasizing that "without press freedom there is no freedom."
Complaints that the Sandinista government has persecuted its critics have become more frequent recently. Last September La Prensa denounced political persecution after the newspaper fired delivery workers.
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Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
