Ortega’s War on Journalism in Nicaragua
Sixty-One media outlets shut down or confiscated
The regime has closed or confiscated 61 Nicaraguan media outlets, has 4 reporters in jail, and has forced more than 283 journalists into exile
HAVANA TIMES – When raids, forced closures, media confiscations, and arrests of Nicaraguan journalists seemed like they couldn’t get any worse, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo took it a step further with a bogus court ruling, delivering yet another blow to the national press.
Stripping journalists and media directors of their citizenship has been one of the latest attacks in a long-standing war on press freedom and free speech that began in 2007, shortly after Ortega returned to power. Since 2018, this campaign has escalated with a series of aggressive moves aimed at silencing the media and civil society, who have been speaking out about the regime’s ongoing human rights violations.
Ortega, now in his fourth consecutive term, has overseen the closure or confiscation of at least 61 media outlets over the past 18 years, including newspapers, radio stations, TV channels, and digital platforms. Some were shut down by having their licenses revoked, others suffocated economically, and the most recent cases involved military takeovers of their facilities and the seizure of assets.
He has also imprisoned 15 journalists, media workers, and executives, four of whom are still being held without justification. In addition, 283 journalists have been forced into exile, 25 media workers and executives were stripped of their citizenship, and three reporters were convicted of alleged libel.
The imposition of censorship has escalated in 14 of Nicaragua’s 17 departments and autonomous regions. In the first phase, between 2007 and 2017, the regime, through the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (Telcor) and militants from the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), raided and shut down community radio stations and local channels such as: NotiWaslala, NotiCuá, Radio Palabra de Mujer, Radio Voz de Mujer, Channel 29 in Chinandega, Channel 50 in León, Radio Emperador, and Radio Bosawás.
The Assault on the Media in 2018
A second phase of this war against independent journalism began in 2018, when journalists and media outlets documented and spread the word about the Ortega regime’s massacre during that year’s social uprising and the serious human rights violations, which left more than three hundred people killed, 1,600 arbitrary detentions, over 900 political prisoners, thousands injured, dozens missing, and 100,000 exiled. In that year alone, 12 media outlets were shut down, raided, and confiscated: Radio Darío, Radio Amerrisque, NotiDalia, NotiWiwilí, NotiPantasma, Radio Stereo Apante, Radio Jerusalén, Radio Humedales, Radio Voz Juvenil, 100% Noticias, and CONFIDENCIAL.
Ortega’s regime failed to achieve its goal of silencing all the independent media outlets that were attacked and confiscated. Radio Darío de León – set on fire on April 19, 2018 – CONFIDENCIAL, and Esta Semana – raided and occupied on December 13, 2018 – and 100% Noticias – raided and occupied on December 21, 2018, with journalists Miguel Mora and Lucía Pineda Ubau kidnapped – continue to report through their digital platforms.
Censorship, Closures, Confiscations, and Imprisonments
Starting in 2019, the regime’s assault reached national media outlets. El Nuevo Diario, the second oldest newspaper in Nicaragua, was economically suffocated and ceased publication on September 27, 2019. On the same day, the metropolitan newspapers Metro and Q’hubo were also shut down. In the following months, local radio stations were also targeted, such as: Radio Alegre, Única, Radio La Ley, and Radio Universidad.
In this context of censorship and repression, in 2021, CONFIDENCIAL and 100% Noticias were illegally confiscated, and organizations and foundations working to promote and defend press freedom in Nicaragua were also shut down: the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCh), the Nicaraguan Journalists Association (APN), and Journalists, Writers, and Narrators (PEN – Nicaragua).
To imprison journalists and citizens, the regime created a legal framework that restricts the public freedoms of Nicaraguans. With the approval of the Foreign Agents Regulation Law, the Special Cybercrimes Law, and the “Sovereignty Law” in late 2020, the Ortega regime sought to give a veneer of legality to its actions against independent media and civil society organizations. The enforcement of these laws, starting in early 2021, coincided with an escalation in violations of press freedom.
On May 20, 2021, the police raided — for the second time — the recording studio of the programs Esta Semana and Esta Noche, hosted by journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, which had been temporarily relocated to an office in the corporate center Invercasa after the raid and confiscation of CONFIDENCIAL‘s newsroom in December 2018. A month later, on the night of June 21, 2021, Chamorro announced that he had gone into exile in Costa Rica for the second time, after confirming that the police had raided his home with the intent to arrest him.
The Public Ministry also actively participated in this war against press freedom. Starting on May 24, 2021, this institution interrogated 55 journalists and media owners, according to Periodistas y Comunicadores Independientes de Nicaragua (PCIN). Prosecutors questioned the journalists about their connection to the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCh), inquired about the operations of independent media outlets, and in some cases threatened them with opening criminal cases using the Special Cybercrimes Law, known as the “Gag Law,” passed in October 2020.
After the first round of interrogations, the former employees of FVBCh were illegally arrested: Walter Gómez, former administrator; Marcos Fletes, former accountant; and Cristiana Chamorro Barrios, former president of the foundation and presidential candidate. All three were accused and sentenced by the regime for alleged money laundering. Three weeks later, on June 25, 2021, the assault continued with the arrest of former congressman Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios. Initially, the police said the detention was related to the “Sovereignty Law,” but he was eventually accused and sentenced in the same case as his sister, who was also a presidential candidate for the November 2021 elections. In those elections, Ortega and Murillo annulled all electoral competition, arresting six other opposition candidates. Among them was Miguel Mora, the founder of 100% Noticias and a journalist who was imprisoned for the second time and sentenced to 13 years in prison for the alleged crime of “undermining national integrity.”
Sports commentator and blogger Miguel Mendoza — arrested on June 21, 2021 — was another political prisoner. Mendoza was tried in prison for the alleged crime of “conspiracy” and violating the “Sovereignty Law” for denouncing abuses of power on social media. The journalist was sentenced to nine years in prison and banned from holding public office. The only evidence against him were testimonies from undercover police officers, about thirty tweets, and a couple of Facebook posts in which the sports commentator exercised his right to freedom of expression.
The assault on La Prensa
On August 13, 2021, the Ortega regime forcibly took over the facilities of La Prensa, the oldest newspaper in the country. The assault occurred hours after the newspaper reported that it had run out of paper to continue printing nationally, due to the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) seizing raw materials at a fiscal warehouse that belonged to the last remaining Nicaraguan daily newspaper. The following day, the newspaper’s general manager, Juan Lorenzo Holmann, was tricked into going to the Directorate of Judicial Aid, or El Chipote, where he was later accused, tried, and sentenced to nine years in prison for the alleged crime of money laundering.
On July 6, 2022, following the coverage by La Prensa of the expulsion of 18 Missionaries of Charity from Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the police launched a manhunt against journalists and also kidnapped two drivers from the newspaper. Both were taken from their homes and transferred to El Chipote, where they remained detained “under investigation,” without the regime authorities specifying the reason for their detention.
The arrests were followed by raids on the homes of several journalists, photographers, and staff members of the newspaper. There were also “visits” and threats to former employees of the newspaper. This situation forced La Prensa to safeguard its staff and later evacuate them from the country.
With the persecution of La Prensa, the government triggered a new wave of journalists who were forced into exile.
On August 23, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo officially stole the assets and building of La Prensa, one year after the National Police forcibly occupied its facilities and arrested its general manager. In the stolen building, the regime set up the José Coronel Urtecho Cultural and Polytechnic Center, managed by the National Technological Institute (Inatec).
Attacks on Local Media
In 2021, the violations of press freedom worsened, but 2022 was a devastating year for journalists and local media in Nicaragua. Between January and August 2022, a total of 26 departmental and municipal media outlets were canceled by the regime, the majority of which were local radio stations located in northern Nicaragua and owned by the Catholic Church. The closure of these media outlets occurred alongside the arrest of a number of priests critical of the regime.
In early 2022, the local channel Condega Visión and Radio Católica de Bluefields were forced to shut down their broadcasts. Then, the newspapers Voz Católica, a publication of the Church, and Trinchera de la Noticia, whose offices were also raided by the police, were canceled. In May, the regime’s assault continued with the cancellation of the Canal Católico de Nicaragua, owned by the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference (CEN), which had acted as an intermediary in a failed national dialogue between the regime and civil society in 2018.
Matagalpa, Nueva Guinea, San Carlos
In early August 2022, the director of Telcor, Nahima Díaz Flores, daughter of Francisco Díaz, the sanctioned director of the Police and son-in-law of Daniel Ortega, ordered the closure of local channels: TV Merced, Canal San José, Radio Hermanos, Radio Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, Radio Nuestra Señora de Fátima, Radio Alliens, Radio Monte Carmelo, Radio San José, Radio Católica de Sébaco, Radio Santa Lucía, Radio Esquipulas, and Radio Católica de Waslala, all of which belonged to the diocese of Matagalpa and Estelí.
Simultaneously, Radio Vos and RB3 “El Canal de la Zona Láctea” in the department of Matagalpa were also canceled. A few days later, Canal NGTV3 in Nueva Guinea; Radio Darío and Radio Sky in León; Radio La Guarachera in Chinandega; Radio San Carlos in Río San Juan; and Radio Stereo Fe in Nueva Segovia were also shut down.
Telcor’s argument was that the radio stations from the diocese of Matagalpa did not have operating permits or “valid titles.” However, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez clarified that he himself had submitted all the required documentation since 2016, but “we never received answers, as is the custom of the government in some and many other cases.”
On the afternoon of August 15, 2022, the regime also silenced Radio San Carlos, which had been broadcasting live from that municipality in the department of Río San Juan for 23 years. On that day, Telcor notified the closure because supposedly “the transmitter was different from the one registered” with the regulatory body, and the requested power was 500 watts instead of 1000 watts. However, “all of that was done with their permission,” said Silvio Pilarte, the lawyer and owner of the radio station.
Pilarte was the mayor of San Carlos from the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) during President Arnoldo Alemán’s term (1996-2002). The lawyer and his family went into exile in the United States due to the regime’s persecution.
In 2022, Telecable and Radio Mi voz in the department of León were also forced to shut down. In the case of the radio station, its facilities were seized by force, but its journalists continued to report on social media.
The Stripping of Nicaraguan Citizenship
Another chapter of this regime’s war against the media occurred on February 9, 2023, when 222 political prisoners were released, exiled to the United States, and stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship. Among them, 9 were journalists, media workers, or media executives.
The stripping of Nicaraguan citizenship continued on February 15, 2023, when the regime announced a judicial ruling that arbitrarily revoked the citizenship of 94 political opponents, including 15 journalists and media directors.
Another journalist stripped of his citizenship is former Canal 10 correspondent Víctor Ticay, who was imprisoned on Thursday, April 6, 2023, after covering the tradition of La Reseña during the Holy Week festivities. The regime sentenced him to eight years in prison for the alleged crimes of “spreading false news,” “conspiring to undermine national integrity,” and “treason against the homeland.” He was released from prison, exiled to Guatemala, and stripped of his citizenship on Thursday, September 4, 2024.
Final Strikes of the Dictatorship
The war against the media continued in 2023 with the closure of Radio Metro Stereo Rosa de Sarón in León, Radio Yapti Tasba Bila Baikra in Bilwi, and Radio Yapti Tasba Bila Baikra in Waspán. The latter two were community radio stations owned by the indigenous party Yatama, and their facilities were forcibly taken after the arrest of indigenous leader and National Assembly deputy, Brooklyn Rivera, in September 2023.
In 2024, Radio María in Managua and Radio Volcán in Granada were forced to shut down their transmitters after the Ministry of the Interior (MINT) canceled the legal status and confiscated the assets of the Radio María Association and the Casa de los Tres Mundos Foundation, owner of Radio Volcán.
Before the closure of Radio María, its directors reported the “unjustified” freezing and blocking of their bank accounts, the removal of messages from Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa, and Silvio Báez, Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, from their programming, and they were “forced” to broadcast Rosario Murillo’s daily monologue on a delay.
Between July 2024 and February 2025, the dictatorship also imprisoned four Nicaraguan journalists. Three of them were no longer practicing journalism due to health issues or personal reasons. Despite their inactivity, the regime continues to hold them, and their whereabouts or legal situation are unknown.
The journalists in forced disappearance are Fabiola Tercero Castro, who led the literary project El Rincón de Fabi; Elsbeth D’Anda, who hosted the TV program La Cobertura; Leo Catalino Cárcamo Herrera, and Irving Guerrero Montes, who had retired due to their advanced age.
Closed Media and Retired Journalists Due to the Crisis
In this war of the regime against independent journalism, journalists and media outlets have put in great effort to overcome censorship. However, the prolonged crisis has forced the closure of several digital platforms that emerged after 2018: Cuarto Mono, Literal, Primer Orden, Actualidad con Dino Andino, Boletín Ecológico, and Voces en Libertad, to name a few. The list grows with other digital platforms or initiatives that some journalists had created to continue practicing their profession, but they too had to close or suspend their publications.
According to the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED), in 2024, at least 52 professionals left journalism to engage in other economic activities to ensure the support of their families. “This phenomenon is due to multiple reasons, including the growing unemployment in the sector, the precariousness of salaries, the high danger associated with the profession, the closure of media outlets and news spaces, as well as the promotion of personal entrepreneurial ventures as an alternative for survival,” says FLED in its 2024 annual report.
Between 2018 and the end of 2024, the total number of exiled journalists reached 283 professionals, 46 of whom left in 2024, according to FLED.
Meanwhile, media outlets like CONFIDENCIAL, Esta Semana, and the newspaper La Prensa continue to report with their editorial teams in exile; 100% Noticias and Radio Darío have evolved into digital platforms to keep informing. Likewise, Radio Vos, Canal Católico de Nicaragua, TV Merced, and the radio stations of the Diocese of Matagalpa continue broadcasting through social media.
Other independent programs that have managed to circumvent the Ortega regime’s censorship include: Café con Voz, which was canceled from local television channels in 2018 but continues to operate through digital platforms and social media. Also, Onda Local, which was suspended in 2021 due to pressure on Radio Corporación.
Additionally, digital media outlets that emerged after 2018 include: Despacho 505, Nicaragua Investiga, Nicaragua Actual, La Lupa, Divergentes, República 18, Galería News, among others.