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January 13, 2025 – Nicaragua –
In 2024, at least 46 Nicaraguan journalists were forced into exile due to escalating repression under President Daniel Ortega’s regime, according to a report by the Costa Rica-based Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED). This brings the total number of exiled journalists since the brutal 2018 crackdown to 283, underscoring the systematic dismantling of press freedom in the country.
The FLED report documented 81 press freedom violations in 2024, including arbitrary arrests, surveillance, newsroom raids, confiscation of equipment, and enforced disappearances. Prominent journalists such as Fabiola Tercero and Elsbeth D’Anda remain either missing or detained, while others like Henry Briceño were forcibly expelled along with their families. The report warns that Nicaragua is fast becoming a nation of “information deserts,” with 10 of the country’s 15 departments now lacking independent journalism.
Over 60 independent news outlets have been closed, nationalized, or forced offline. In tandem, the Ortega-Murillo administration continues to weaponize vague legal frameworks, including cybercrime and sovereignty laws, to prosecute reporters and suppress online dissent. These measures have pushed many media workers into silence or self-censorship, particularly those with family members still inside Nicaragua.
Beyond physical threats, exiled journalists face the psychological toll of displacement, financial instability, and the fear of retaliation against relatives left behind. Many now report from abroad with limited resources, struggling to maintain independent coverage of their homeland while navigating life in exile.
The international community has taken notice. Reporters Without Borders condemned the regime’s actions, calling Nicaragua’s treatment of journalists a “shameful farce” during World Press Freedom Day 2025. Meanwhile, U.S. trade officials are investigating human rights abuses in Nicaragua, including attacks on media freedom, which could impact bilateral relations.
The forced exile of journalists is not only a humanitarian crisis—it signals the erosion of democratic norms. Without a free press, transparency, accountability, and informed public discourse are under siege. The FLED report calls for urgent international action to protect Nicaraguan journalists and restore press freedoms that are rapidly vanishing.
Reference –
https://www.barrons.com/news/46-nicaraguan-journalists-forced-into-exile-in-2024-ngo-says-6e6a78ba
46 Journalists Forced into Exile from Nicaragua in 2024, Report Shows
