The government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua withdrew the signal of the news channel CNN en Español in the country, without indicating the reasons for the decision, this U.S. media outlet reported Thursday.
“The Nicaraguan government pulled our television signal, denying Nicaraguans news and information from our network, which they have trusted for more than 25 years,” CNN en Español said in a statement.
CNN en Español, a pan-American Spanish-language news channel owned by CNN Global, a news division of Warner Bros. Discovery, stressed “the vital role that freedom of the press plays in a healthy democracy.”
“CNN en Español will continue to fulfill its responsibility to the Nicaraguan public by providing our news links on CNNEspanol.com, so they can access information that is not otherwise available,” he stressed.
In Managua, the Ortega government did not comment on its decision, nor did the operators that carry CNN’s signal, which the U.S. company said it had consulted.
Since the massive protests unleashed in April 2018, Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, exercise an iron grip on the lives of Nicaraguans and punish dissident voices, whether they are opponents, journalists or even members of the Catholic Church, with imprisonment.
In the last year, the Nicaraguan government arrested more than 40 opponents and critics, sentencing them to up to 13 years in prison.
Among the imprisoned opponents, seven were presidential aspirants for the 2021 elections in which Ortega was reelected for the fourth consecutive time.
