Press freedom in Nicaragua nearly nonexistent, CPJ and rights groups tell UN

CPJ and eight more journalism and human rights groups signed a submission documenting the use of various tactics to silence journalists in Nicaragua, such as the closure of the Nicaraguan Journalists Association office, pictured here on March 17, 2022, in Managua, Nicaragua . (Reuters/Maynor Valenzuela)

CPJ and eight more journalism and human rights groups signed a submission documenting the use of various tactics to silence journalists in Nicaragua—such as the closure of the Nicaraguan Journalists Association office, pictured here on March 17, 2022, in Managua, Nicaragua. (Photo: Reuters/Maynor Valenzuela)

Mexico City, August 27, 2024—Nicaragua has escalated its persecution of critical voices since 2018, pushing freedom of expression to a nearly nonexistent state, according to a joint submission to the United Nations by the Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other journalism and human rights groups.

The submission, prepared for Nicaragua’s Universal Periodic Review in 2024, documents the government’s use of various tactics to silence journalists, including media shutdowns, property confiscations, and the suppression of independent reporting. The report highlights how press freedom has been systematically dismantled during the 2019-2023 review cycle.

The coalition of organizations aims to bring these ongoing violations of free expression and access to information to the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The submission’s findings are based on data collected and analyzed by the signatory groups, emphasizing that these abuses continue without consequence.

Read the full submission here.

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