WHEREAS, the government has prohibited all branches of government and autonomous entities from providing information to media other than the official media, known as the "Media of People's Power" – in violation of the Constitution of the Republic
WHEREAS, President Daniel Ortega has not given a press conference in his ten years in office, and in that same period he has only presented his report to the nation twice before the National Assembly
WHEREAS, the Law on Access to Information is ineffective and is not complied with by State entities – either by State powers or autonomous entities, leaving all State agencies without transparency and accountability
WHEREAS, most electronic media, radio and television stations are in the hands of a duopoly made up of the presidential family and a foreign agent – which contradicts the Constitution of the Republic, undermines the plurality of information, and limits freedom of information
WHEREAS, state advertising is used to reward or punish the media according to their leanings, and is being used in large part to favor the media of the presidential family
WHEREAS, some media and human rights bodies have been and continue to be harassed, intimidated and assaulted, whether by government agents or by people who lend themselves to attack the owners and publishers – creating a climate of self-censorship
WHEREAS, there is a subjection to the Executive Branch of all the institutions of the other branches of government: the judiciary, starting with the Supreme Court of Justice, the Supreme Electoral Council, and the National Assembly – where the ruling party controls 70% of the legislators, thereby eliminating all types of electoral competition – a situation that makes freedom of information even more difficulty
WHEREAS, principles 2, 3, 6 and 7 of the Chapultepec Declaration – which, respectively, guarantee the right to free expression of persons, emphasize the responsibility of the authorities to provide public information without restrictions, that the media and journalists should not be subject to discrimination or favors because of what they write or say, and that the State should not use its powers to reward or punish journalists and the media – are not complied with.
THE 74th IAPA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLVES
Request the government of President Daniel Ortega and First Lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo to comply with the Constitution – which in Article 66 establishes "the right of Nicaraguans to truthful information, including the freedom to seek, receive and disseminate information and ideas, whether orally, in writing, graphically, or by any other means of their choice," and in Article 68 states: "The State shall ensure that the media are not subjected to foreign interests or to the economic monopoly of any group
Urge the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to pronounce himself/herself.
