The United States repudiates the raid on the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa: “The regime must respect the freedom of the press”

The Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of the United States shared today in networks his rejection of daily raid Press of Nicaragua led by the Sandinista security forces, who entered the media’s newsroom and did not allow journalists to move freely. The police raid It started at noon and lasted about four hours.

In a Twitter post, the US body – part of the US State Department, which is responsible for implementing the country’s foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere – wrote: “Ortega-Murillo police today raided the offices of the only Nicaraguan newspaper on the basis of questionable allegations of tax irregularities. We call on the regime to respect the freedom of expression of Press instead of acting to silence independent reports. “

The act of persecution was denounced by the same newspaper on its Twitter account: “Police patrols are inside the premises of LA PRENSA. They don’t let the employees who were in the offices use their phones ”.

“In the LA PRENSA newsroom there is journalists held incommunicado because the police did not allow them access to their electronic media», Reported the media.

As he could know Infobae, security forces they cut off Internet access, shut down electricity, and shut down all of the company’s servers.

Although many journalists from Nicaragua’s oldest newspaper worked from home, a small group of directors and editors were in the newsroom.

The rest of the reporters in the newsroom approached the newspaper as soon as the news broke, but they do not have access to it, since the doors are closed.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE) also condemned the persecution on Twitter: “The IACHR and RELE condemn the constant official persecution of the press in Nicaragua and recall that direct or indirect pressure aimed at silencing the work of the press affects democratic debate and is incompatible with the right to freedom of expression ”.

Nicaraguan regime police issued a statement assuring that the newspaper and directors were under investigation by “Customs fraud, money laundering to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua and Nicaraguan society.”

The newspaper Press, the oldest in Nicaragua, ceased circulation this Friday in its print version because the Government, through the General Directorate of Customs, maintains its role. Press, founded in 1926, denounced on its printed cover that “the the dictatorship retains our role, but cannot hide the truth ”.

“Once again, the dictatorship of Ortega-Murillo (Vice-president Rosario Murillo) the role was refused to us. As long as they do not release our supplies we will not be able to circulate in the printed edition, but they won’t shut us upSaid the newspaper, the one with the biggest circulation in Nicaragua.

The dictatorship, through the General Directorate of Customs, He has yet to refer to La Prensa’s complaint.

According to the newspaper, “the newspaper was seized because customs authorities did not approve the exemption request process it carried out. Press since July 26th ”, in accordance with article 68 of the Political Constitution, which exempts the import of paper and other media raw materials.

The law says that the authorities have a maximum of 10 days to respond to demand and “this time 18 days have passed since the start of the process,” he noted.

Read on: