CLAS "deeply concerned" by growing repression in Nicaragua

UC Berkeley Center for Latin American Studies
Statement on Nicaragua
December 19, 2018

The UC Berkeley Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) is deeply concerned about the growing repression, arbitrary detentions, and state-sanctioned violence in Nicaragua. In addition to ongoing violence, the silencing of dissenting voices and the press must end. A free press is vital for a decent society and essential for a democracy.

This past week, armed police stormed the headquarters of one of Nicaragua’s top independent media outlets, Confidencial. Officers seized computers and occupied the premises. Confidencial’s Director, Carlos F. Chamorro (who was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley 1998-99 and 2006-7) stated, “We have been in this regime’s sights for many years. They have attacked us, they have pressured us, they have intimidated us and they have spied on us, and the only conclusion I can draw is that they are now moving towards what they consider the coup de grâce.” Chamorro continued, “It is a blow and a warning.”

Along with governments and human rights organizations around the world, CLAS urges the Government of Nicaragua and all other actors to return to democratic principles. CLAS stands firmly in solidarity with the people of Nicaragua, who are demanding justice and peace.

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Human Rights Watch Statement

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/14/nicaragua-government-crackdown-media-activists

CLAS has recently published the English version of an article by Carlos Dada, leading Salvadorian journalist, who wrote about the occupation of Confidencial. That article can be seen on the CLAS Blog, here: https://clasberkeley.wordpress.com/2018/12/19/ortega-uses-somozas-manual-to-silence-critics/