"Courts in the service of the Ortega-Murillo regime have declared journalist Victor Ticay guilty of the bogus crimes of 'spreading fake news' and 'undermining the national integrity,' attorney Braulio Abarca, with the Nicaragua Nunca + [Never Again Nicaragua] Human Rights Collective informed. The journalist was taken to the Managua court complex in the early hours of June 9, where the guilty verdict was read to him. Later, at approximately 10:00 am, he was transferred to the Jorge Navarro National Penitentiary, commonly known as La Modelo.
The unsurprising guilty verdict was part of 'an arbitrary process with no legal guarantees,' Abarca stated. One indication of this was the fact that he was sentenced 'in the wee hours of the morning, and with no right to defense,' he added.
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Abarca said the trial against Ticay, in addition to violating his fundamental rights, is 'a clear message to all those who work in independent media' in Nicaragua, since it 'generates a hostile environment against all those who work with the press.'
[Ticay] was arrested on [Thursday] April 6, 2023, after he filmed and gave coverage to the Catholic tradition known as La Reseña, during the Holy Week festivities. The activity was being held despite orders from Vice President Rosario Murillo ordering all Catholic processions banned that week. Since April 6, Ticay had been held in the District III police station in Managua."
