Independent media in Nicaragua need technical resources, an international forum and greater visibility in the international press to guarantee the continuity of their work and to attract the attention of the world to the critical situation that journalists are experiencing in the country.
The executive director of a Nicaraguan news outlet that has denounced harassment from the government in recent weeks is now the target of multiple lawsuits.
In recent days, at least seven independent journalists in Nicaragua reported suffering death threats, persecution and harassment from paramilitaries, invasions of their property and arbitrary arrests and detentions.
There have been 420 violations against of press freedom since protests began in Nicaragua last April, according to a new report from the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH, for its initials in Spanish).
For "its professionalism and courage in the face of indiscriminate violence of the Daniel Ortega regime," the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) awarded the 2018 Press Freedom Grand Prize to independent journalism in Nicaragua, the organization announced on Sept. 5.
The two young men of African descent who were accused of murdering journalist Ángel Gahona on April 21 were found guilty by a Nicaraguan judge on the night of Aug. 27, Confidencial reported.
News that Carlos Pastora, general manager of Canal 10 of Nicaragua, sought refuge in the Honduran embassy in Managua awoke rumors of alleged persecution by the government of Daniel Ortega against the channel.
Nicaraguan press workers organized a sit-in in Managua as detentions of and attacks on journalists continue, with two detentions in the past week.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) adopted precautionary measures for the widow of a journalist killed in Nicaragua while covering protests and members of a radio station that was set on fire.
As attacks against journalists in Nicaragua grow after months of protest, independent journalists in the country are calling for freedom to carry out their work. They are also expressing hope in the international organizations on the ground that are working to curb violence in the Central American nation.
The headquarters of Radio Nicaragua, state radio station of the Central American country, was attacked and destroyed by a fire in the early morning hours of June 8, according to local press reports.
While reporters don helmets to cover violent protests in Nicaragua, human rights and press organizations are calling on the international community to pay attention to attacks on journalists and news media amidst protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega.