Visit the Historical Archive with over 1000 editions of the CONFIDENCIAL weekly magazine

1996. Nicaragua began to move past decades of political polarization and conflict, and a CONFIDENCIAL weekly magazine was born. This printed magazine circulated continuously for 26 years until the persecution and repression of the Ortega Murillo dictatorship halted it.

Starting today, April 15th, we have made over 1000 editions of the CONFIDENCIAL weekly magazine available to our audience. This marks the completion of our Historical Archive, a benefit you can find at CONFIDENCIAL CLUB, the site of our Membership Program, to support independent journalism and overcome censorship in Nicaragua.

Following the complete digitization of the Historical Archive at CONFIDENCIAL CLUB, you can explore from the first edition published on July 7, 1996, to the last on August 7, 2021, before the dictatorship prevented the printing of the magazine, forcing us to publish it in PDF format only. You can also read the latest digital edition distributed to members through the Premium Bulletin, published on December 18, 2022. At the moment, these editions are only available in Spanish.

Within the pages of CONFIDENCIAL weekly magazine, we report the current news and engage in in-depth journalism. We recount Nicaragua's political and social transformation, from the hopeful democratic transition of the 90s to the authoritarian regression imposed by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.

Iconic Investigations in CONFIDENCIAL's Historical Archive

Investigative journalism has shed light on emblematic cases of public corruption such as "Alemán's Superhighway," "The Alemán-Ortega Pact and the Distribution of state powers," "The illegal tax exemption for the Pellas Tower," "Byron Jerez's Terrace in Pochomil funded by Mitch relief funds," "Crisis in the forest, the Granadillo mafia, and the decline of Bosawas," "The Cosep model and authoritarian corporatism," "Albanisa's business piggy bank," "Wang Jing's web and the interoceanic canal scam," among others, all published before the April 2018 sociopolitical crisis.

In our Historical Archive, you'll also find the coverage of the April 2018 Rebellion through May 2021. Investigations, chronicles, and reports that bear witness to collective suffering and demand truth and justice for the victims of repression. Stories like “Deaths that Ortega wants to hide," “The police and paramilitaries shooting to kill,” “Ortega's death squads,” “The 87 roadblocks in the "citizens' strike," “The closure of El Nuevo Diario, a "shame" for Nicaragua,” “Alba Generación: Ortega's deal," “COVID-19 ravages the FSLN,” “Executions in the countryside,” “Public servants fired: hostages of Ortega's state,” “The network of 22 private businesses of the Ortega-Murillos”, and "Bishop Rolando Álvarez, a prisoner of conscience of the dictatorship,” are just a few of the stories we continue reporting despite censorship.

Commitment to freedom of expression and historical memory

Together, we have achieved another milestone. We express our deepest gratitude to everyone who reads our content, follows us on YouTube, or supports our platform by becoming a member of CONFIDENCIAL CLUB. Our Historical Archive publication was not only technically challenging, but it has also strengthened our resistance against the Ortega-Murillo regime's repression and censorship. The archive is a testament to our commitment to preserving our historical memory.

As a member of CONFIDENCIAL CLUB, you have exclusive access to this Historical Archive and are part of a community committed to freedom of expression in Nicaragua. Your support enables us to continue producing independent and quality journalism despite persecution, exile, and the challenge of relying on verified and reliable sources.

We invite you to explore CONFIDENCIAL's archive in Spanish, and here are six of the standout editions featured in the Historical Archive:

"The Alemán-Ortega pact and the distribution of state powers"

Edition 107. Year 3. August 1998. CONFIDENCIAL recounts how the FSLN prepared a proposal for electoral law reforms from this year onwards. Additionally, it covers the start of discussions to change the date of municipal elections and the disagreement over dividing the Mayor's Office of Managua into "five mayoralties." And a report on the US$10 million received by the Supreme Electoral Council from 1992 to 1998.

"The Cosep model and authoritarian corporatism"

Edition 1025. Year 21. May 2017. This edition details the call to large business owners of COSEP to set limits against abuses of power and lack of public transparency. "It does not mean promoting confrontation with the government, but encouraging them to stop being hostages of authoritarianism," the report details.

"Albanisa's business piggy bank"

Edition 972. Year 20. April 2016. Report on the regime's "business corner shop," headed by Albanisa, a discreetly managed empire that grew unchecked, under the oil cooperation boon provided by Venezuela. A tour of various businesses includes airlines, hotels, crops, telecommunications, racetracks, and more.

"Violeta Chamorro: The president of peace."

Edition 1095. Year 22. October 2018. A journey through the democratic transition symbolized by the victory of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, former president of Nicaragua who defeated Daniel Ortega and the FSLN at the polls in 1990 and achieved reconciliation in a country devastated by wars, laying the groundwork for a democracy that was demolished by the new Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.

"The network of 22 private businesses of the Ortega-Murillos"

Edition 1259. Year 26. February 2022. An award-winning investigation by CONFIDENCIAL, based on documents from the Public Registry and information from the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS), reveals a partial map of the network of private businesses owned by the Ortega-Murillo family. The data analysis allows us to identify the shareholder frontmen and the pattern of shareholder control exercised by these trusted individuals of the family.

"Bishop Rolando Álvarez, a prisoner of conscience of the dictatorship"

Edition 1300. Year 26. December 2022. The final issue of the CONFIDENCIAL Weekly, crafted in PDF format. CONFIDENCIAL's Editorial Board selected Bishop Rolando Álvarez as the figure of 2022. A recognition of his consistency, pastoral work, and example of dignity and resistance in the face of persecution and harassment by the Ortega regime.

This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by our staff. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.