Nicaragua: Reports on the harassment of radio hosts in Managua critical of the Alemán government (1998-1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 6 July 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NIC34889.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nicaragua: Reports on the harassment of radio hosts in Managua critical of the Alemán government (1998-1999), 6 July 2000, NIC34889.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad6b3c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No 1998 and 1999 reports of radio hosts being harassed in Managua could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported in Attacks on the Press in 1999 that:
A tense political tug-of-war between government and the press continued as a recalcitrant executive branch persisted in using its power to punish critical media.
Relations between the Nicaraguan press and President Arnoldo Alemán have long been strained. Journalists charge that Alemán tends to impede access, particularly to journalists investigating his personal conduct and alleging that he is enriching himself at the nation's expense (n.d.).
Similarly, in its 1999 World Press Freedom Review, the International Press Institute (IPI) reported that journalists had accused the Arnoldo Alemán government of "intimidating critical media by, among other things, withholding official information and state advertising" (n.d.). The Review also reported that in 1999 the government had abused its power and had attempted to silence criticisms of government corruption by threatening to seize equipment belonging to La Primerísima and Ya radio stations (ibid.). While not naming the radio station, Freedom House's Press Freedom Survey 2000 reported that in late 1999, a Sandinista radio station "was forcibly shut down by riot police under a judicial order" (2000).
In 1998, the National Union of Nicaraguan Journalists (Sindicato Nacional de Periodistas de Nicaragua, SNPN) reported that journalists affiliated with it had suffered "constant violations, mistreatment , threats of imprisonment and verbal repression" under the Alemán government (IFEX 26 May 1998). The Union provided no information on cases of alleged violations committed against radio hosts (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). n.d. Attacks on the Press in 1999.
Freedom House. 2000. Press Freedom Survey 2000.
International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). 26 May 1998. "Alert: Statement of the National Union of Nicaraguan Journalists (SNPN) on Attacks by President Arnoldo Aleman."
International Press Institute (IPI). n.d. 1999 World Press Freedom Review: Nicaragua.