NICARAGUA

WHEREAS in March 2005 the Nicaraguan newspapers La Prensa and El Nuevo Diario and television stations Channel 2, Channel 8 and Channel 10 filed an appeal on the grounds that Law 528, which restricts the constitutional exemptions to which Nicaraguan media outlets are entitled, is unconstitutional WHEREAS a similar appeal was filed years ago against the Law on the Colegio de Periodistas, which made membership in the organization compulsory for all journalists WHEREAS a petition was filed seeking an injunction to stop the Nicaraguan customs authority from illegally collecting tax debts allegedly owed by La Prensa newspaper WHEREAS a committee of the National Assembly is currently considering a bill that would remove all restrictions on the constitutional exemptions to which Nicaraguan media outlets are entitled WHEREAS regulations for Nicaragua’s Law on Access to Public Information, which was passed on May 16 of this year, should have been issued in July of this year WHEREAS Principle 7 of the Declaration of Chapultepec says “Tariff and exchange policies, licenses for the importation of paper or news-gathering equipment, the assigning of radio and television frequencies and the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists” THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to request that the Nicaraguan Supreme Court rule on these appeals filed on the grounds of unconstitutionality, as well as on the petition for injunctive relief filed by La Prensa to urge the National Assembly to pass the law that would remove all restrictions on the exemptions to which media outlets are entitled under the Constitution to ask the Nicaraguan government to publish the regulations for the Law on Access to Public Information.