Nicaragua: escalation against freedom of expression

Radio France International News from America

February 11, 2019

In Nicaragua, in the context of the crackdown on protests that erupted nine months ago against the government of Daniel Ortega, there is an escalation of violence against the press.

>> Click on the image to listen to the complete program.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) denounced in a report the intimidation and censorship of journalists, prevented from working, physically badaulted, arbitrarily imprisoned and forced into exile.

Commissioner Antonia Urrejola, rapporteur of the IACHR for Nicaragua, explained that it was "an escalation against the independent media, with the arrest of several journalists".

In addition, "in the last three months, we have counted more than 60 journalists who were forced to exile because of the persecution." They removed the signals for cable, they can not access the Internet to do their program, in the case of a newspaper they stopped in the customs newspaper for the printing press ".

In addition to denouncing the Ortega government's offensive against freedom of expression, the IACHR denounced the increase in reports of ill-treatment and corporal punishment of persons deprived of their liberty.

"We receive complaints from our parents, when they get to visit, and in general there is an increase in abuse, beatings, changes in meal times, they do not send them this that families send, the cells are under subhuman conditions … ", says Antonia Urrejola.

Do not forget that since the beginning of the mbad protests of the opposition, repression in Nicaragua has left 325 dead, more than 700 detainees and 80,000 exiles, according to human rights groups. man and opposition.

Interviewed: Antonia Urrejola, Rapporteur of the IACHR for Nicaragua.

Source