Nicaragua deports 135 political prisoners, including journalist

September 07, 2024 – Nicaragua – 

Nicaraguan authorities expelled 135 political prisoners, stripping them of citizenship and relocating them to Guatemala, a move brokered through US and Guatemalan mediation. Among those forced into exile was Víctor Ticay, a journalist formerly at Canal 10, who had been imprisoned since April 6, 2023, for live-streaming a Catholic Easter service—an act the Ortega regime criminalized under “undermining national integrity” and “false news” charges.

Ticay’s eight‑year sentence was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), with Cristina Zahar noting that his detention “should have never occurred,” given that he was simply fulfilling his duties. RSF also celebrated his release but called attention to the continued danger faced by exiled journalists.

Shockingly, Fabiola Tercero Castro, an independent journalist and cultural activist, remains unaccounted for. Her home was raided on July 12, 2024, and despite early reports suggesting her inclusion among the deported, both CPJ and RSF confirmed her absence from that group, with no record of her detention or release. RSF has expressed grave concern, calling her disappearance a violation consistent with the regime’s “state terrorism” toward journalists.

These expulsions, following decades of suppression—including the closure of over 50 media outlets, mass exiles of press professionals, and the sweeping Cybercrime Law reform—highlight the Ortega government’s sustained assault on freedom of expression. Numerous journalists have been forcibly deported or expelled since 2018, reinforcing the regime’s pattern of repression.

Human rights organizations—including CPJ, RSF, IFEX, Women in Journalism, and PEN—have denounced the deportations and disappearances, warning of an ongoing crisis. They urge the international community and Nicaraguan authorities to reveal Tercero’s whereabouts, restore citizenship and rights to deported journalists, and halt legal abuses targeting media professionals.

This incident spotlights Nicaragua’s continued strategy: using citizenship revocation, legal persecution, and enforced disappearance to eliminate dissent, delivering a chilling message to journalists and silencing independent voices inside and outside the country.

Reference – 

https://ifex.org/nicaragua-deports-135-political-prisoners-including-journalist-victory-ticay/

Nicaragua deports 135 political prisoners, including journalist

Nicaragua deports 135 political prisoners, including journalist  – Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org)