Miami (August 13, 2025) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expressed concern over a recent order issued by Paraguayan authorities mandating the temporary closure of the 263 stores of the Biggie Express chain, owned by Grupo ABC, which also owns the newspaper ABC Color. The newspaper, in an editorial, denounced the measure as a “ferocious squeeze to silence” the media outlet.
The decision was taken by the Consumer and User Defense Secretariat (Sedeco, in Spanish) and the National Directorate of Health Surveillance (Dinavisa, in Spanish) after inspections conducted in only 12 branches, where expired, relabeled, and potentially “life-threatening” products were found, according to reports from ABC Color.
According to Dinavisa Resolution No. 326/2025, issued on August 12, the actions began on August 7, when Sedeco ordered a specific inspection of Biggie Express under Work Order No. 48/2025. This evaluation was expanded on August 11, with new inspection reports and the presentation of the findings to Dinavisa, which led to the closure measure, the newspaper reported.
So far, the government has not specified an exact date for lifting the suspension. According to reports, the measure will remain in effect “until the stores, their inventories, and the removal of all spoiled products are brought into compliance,” although no concrete deadline has been set, according to the newspaper Última Hora.
The scale of the suspension — affecting more than 5,300 workers, small and medium-sized businesses, local suppliers, and regional economies — has sparked widespread criticism. Organizations such as the Paraguayan Chamber of Supermarkets (Capasu) and the National Chamber of Commerce and Services of Paraguay (CNCSP) described the action as a “disproportionate and unprecedented sanction” and warned of its negative impact on investor confidence and the business climate.
IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz, CEO and General Manager of La Prensa Gráfica of El Salvador, stated that the authorities “must ensure transparency in the process to avoid state decisions that could be perceived as reprisals or as an attempt to neutralize journalistic criticism.”
Meanwhile, Martha Ramos, Chair of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information and Director of the Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), stressed that “the justification for the measure must be explained clearly and publicly to avoid any appearance of discrimination, in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Chapultepec.”
Principle 6 of the Declaration of Chapultepec, signed by President Santiago Peña in October 2024, states that “the media and journalists should not be subject to discrimination or favoritism based on what they write or say.”
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.