Dear Press Freedom Supporter, 

 

Last Thursday, Nicaragua released 222 political prisoners to the U.S. in what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was “a constructive step toward addressing human rights abuses in the country.”

 

Among those who arrived in Virginia last week were 7 journalists and media workers, and we at CPJ made sure we were there to welcome them and provide support. Helping those in prison is a key part of our work and as soon as we learned of the prisoner release we dispatched staff member Dánae Vilchez, herself an exiled Nicaraguan journalist to meet the deported journalists.

 

These included Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro, publisher of Nicaragua’s last remaining independent print newspaper, La Prensa, who told CPJ: “I don’t feel totally free. Because free would be if I could be in Nicaragua, that’s the real freedom”. Like all of the other 222 exiles, Chamorro was stripped of his citizenship in order to be allowed to leave. Like many, he also leaves his family behind. 

That so many agreed to these conditions is a mark of just how repressive the country has become under President Daniel Ortega. 

 

Exile is a growing grim reality for journalists worldwide. And CPJ is stepping up its work to meet the increasing demand. This includes dispatching our team to meet exiled reporters and provide them with information, emergency funds to cover the cost of housing and basic needs.

 

In the case of the Nicaraguan journalists and media workers, CPJ made contact with all seven, establishing each individual’s needs. We provided funding for accommodation and food bills, as well as liaising directly with the State department when needed. Spending time with each former detainee was vital because they had so little information ahead of their departure. “We realized that we were going to the United States almost on the plane’s steps,” sports journalist Miguel Mendoza told us.

 

Being a helping hand for journalists in crisis has been part of our work at CPJ for more than 40 years. But the current level of jailings, threats, attacks - and exile - are unprecedented.

 

A monthly donation will ensure we can continue to help those in crisis. Thank you for standing with CPJ. 

Jodie