At least 263 journalists have been forced to leave Nicaragua due to persecution since a violent crackdown on mass protests against President Daniel Ortega in 2018, a non-governmental organization said Thursday.
The Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy pointed to a “culture of censorship, exile, threats, and restrictions against independent journalism and critical voices” under the former leftist guerrilla.
In the latest quarter to June, 34 media workers left Nicaragua due to “attacks on press freedom,” according to the NGO, which operates from neighboring Costa Rica.
“Nicaragua uses its official spokespersons to try to discredit the work of the men and women of the press, as well as minimize the impact of independent media,” it said in a report.
Police and paramilitaries “visited and intimidated” journalists, who faced threats of imprisonment if they failed to answer questions, it added.
Nicaragua has jailed hundreds of real and perceived opponents since Ortega returned to power in 2007, quashing presidential term limits and seizing control of all branches of the state.
According to the United Nations, more than 300 people died in a crackdown on the 2018 protests, which Ortega’s government denounced as an attempted coup. Most independent and opposition media now operate from abroad.
