In Nicaragua, Many Concerned over Press Freedoms
2023-01-02
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1Reporters and observers say recent years under Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega have severely damaged press freedoms in the country.
2Over 120 journalists have left Nicaragua and a news organization is in exile.
3The government also took away the licenses of at least 17 media organizations over the summer.
4La Prensa is one of Nicaragua's oldest newspapers.
5In 2021, police raided its offices in the capital, Managua.
6Police took its printing equipment and detained its publisher, Juan Lorenzo Holmann.
7A court in March 2022 found Holmann guilty of money laundering.
8La Prensa moved its operations out of the country in 2022.
9The newspaper said the government's attacks on the press forced it to leave.
10Víctor Manuel Pérez is the director of the Independent Journalists and Communicators of Nicaragua, the country's largest union of journalists.
11He said, "2022 has been the worst year for independent media."
12Pérez gave the example of sports journalist Miguel Mendoza, who in February 2022 was sentenced to nine years in prison.
13The government accused Mendoza of "acts that undermine the independence of Nicaragua."
14Mendoza reported on sports but also commented on human rights and politics.
15The Committee to Protect Journalists said he had been critical of the Ortega government.
16Telcor is the government organization that makes rules for broadcasters.
17Among the media organization licenses it took away, many were local radio and television stations.
18Some were connected to the Roman Catholic Church, which Ortega has accused of making plots against the government.
19The government said that the media organizations had broken several laws and that some had changed their frequency, which is against the rules.
20Radio Darío, a Voice of America partner, was among the stations to lose a license.
21Its director, Anibal Toruño, said the government's accusations were false and that the real goal was to "shut us up."
22The lack of independent radio stations in Nicaragua affects rural communities.
23Those areas depend on battery-powered radios to get information on everything from local news to the weather.
24"Sometimes, until we go to the city, we [don't] realize what is going on...We don't know what's happening," Isabel Hernández told VOA.
25She lives in a rural area near the city of León.
26The remaining media organizations have reduced reporting on political news.
27Observers say the risk of legal action or arrest is affecting the country's media.
28In a report published earlier this year, the nonprofit group Voces del Sur [Southern Voices] said the government's actions are hurting journalists' work.
29 Southern Voices also criticized a lack of public information during regional elections in November.
30Government pressure on the press has affected international media organizations, such as CNN en Español and Spain's EFE news agency.
31The government did not directly answer VOA's request for comments.
32I'm Andrew Smith.
1Reporters and observers say recent years under Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega have severely damaged press freedoms in the country. 2Over 120 journalists have left Nicaragua and a news organization is in exile. The government also took away the licenses of at least 17 media organizations over the summer. 3La Prensa is one of Nicaragua's oldest newspapers. In 2021, police raided its offices in the capital, Managua. Police took its printing equipment and detained its publisher, Juan Lorenzo Holmann. A court in March 2022 found Holmann guilty of money laundering. 4La Prensa moved its operations out of the country in 2022. The newspaper said the government's attacks on the press forced it to leave. 5Víctor Manuel Pérez is the director of the Independent Journalists and Communicators of Nicaragua, the country's largest union of journalists. He said, "2022 has been the worst year for independent media." 6Pérez gave the example of sports journalist Miguel Mendoza, who in February 2022 was sentenced to nine years in prison. The government accused Mendoza of "acts that undermine the independence of Nicaragua." 7Mendoza reported on sports but also commented on human rights and politics. The Committee to Protect Journalists said he had been critical of the Ortega government. 8Telcor is the government organization that makes rules for broadcasters. Among the media organization licenses it took away, many were local radio and television stations. Some were connected to the Roman Catholic Church, which Ortega has accused of making plots against the government. 9The government said that the media organizations had broken several laws and that some had changed their frequency, which is against the rules. 10Radio Darío, a Voice of America partner, was among the stations to lose a license. 11Its director, Anibal Toruño, said the government's accusations were false and that the real goal was to "shut us up." 12The lack of independent radio stations in Nicaragua affects rural communities. Those areas depend on battery-powered radios to get information on everything from local news to the weather. 13"Sometimes, until we go to the city, we [don't] realize what is going on...We don't know what's happening," Isabel Hernández told VOA. She lives in a rural area near the city of León. 14The remaining media organizations have reduced reporting on political news. Observers say the risk of legal action or arrest is affecting the country's media. 15In a report published earlier this year, the nonprofit group Voces del Sur [Southern Voices] said the government's actions are hurting journalists' work. Southern Voices also criticized a lack of public information during regional elections in November. 16Government pressure on the press has affected international media organizations, such as CNN en Español and Spain's EFE news agency. 17The government did not directly answer VOA's request for comments. 18I'm Andrew Smith. 19The English version of this story originated from VOA's Spanish language division, with contributions from Cristina Caicedo Smit. 20Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English 21_____________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23journalist -n. a person involved in collecting, writing and editing new stories for newspapers, magazines, television or radio 24license -n. official permission to carry out some business or controlled activity 25money laundering -n. the act of taking part in financial exchanges to hide the fact that the money was gained illegally 26undermine -v. to make something weaker or less effective 27frequency -n. the radio wavelength of a broadcast 28battery -n. a storage device for electricity 29regional -adj. related to an area that is different from others in a country, state or the world 30_____________________________________________________________ 31We want to hear from you. 32We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 33Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.