Nicaragua: Authorities must release journalist Víctor Ticay

12 April: President Daniel Ortega’s government continues its escalation of repression to silence journalists in Nicaragua, declared PEN International today. As yet another sign of the social, cultural, and political crisis that continues to deteriorate in the country due to the systematic violation of human rights.

Nicaraguan journalist Víctor Ticay, a journalist for local TV Channel Canal 10, was arrested on 6 April for covering a religious procession in the municipality of Nandaime, in the south-west of the country, according to the platform Alertas Libertad de Prensa Nicaragua.

Víctor Ticay is also the Director of the Facebook page "La Portada", where he has documented violations of freedom of expression and press freedom in Nicaragua. He is currently being held in the "El Chipote" police prison, accused of alleged "cybercrimes", according to his family.

"The Nicaraguan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Victor Ticay and end the continuous persecution of journalists for simply doing their job. His arrest is yet another example of how Daniel Ortega has created a climate of near-total censorship and silencing of a country," said Ma Thida, Chair of the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International.

According to public reports, Ticay's arrest followed his reporting on Facebook of a Catholic celebration on 5 April 2023.  President Daniel Ortega's government has banned religious expression on public spaces.

On 31 March 2023, a Report by the UN Group of Experts detailed the gravity of the assault on human rights in Nicaragua and confirmed the need for continued international monitoring of human rights violations in the country. The report set out evidence of widespread human rights violations perpetrated by the  Nicaraguan authorities  including killings, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, deportations and politically-motivated persecution, which constitute crimes against humanity. It further concluded that the abuses are the "product of the deliberate dismantling of democratic institutions and the destruction of civic space".

The Group of Experts concluded their report with detailed recommendations on measures to be taken by the State of Nicaragua and the international community to hold those responsible for the grave human rights violations to account.

In February 2023, the government stripped 317 critics of their nationality and confiscated their property, including members of PEN Nicaragua, writers, and journalists.

PEN International demands the immediate release of journalist Victor Ticay and calls for an end to the repression of dissenting voices in Nicaragua. The organisation maintains its international observatory "Ojo en Nicaragua" (Eye on Nicaragua) in collaboration with PEN Centres in the Americas to monitor attacks on freedom of expression in the country.

For more information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region, at PEN International, email: [email protected].