ADOrtega’s Sandinista party holds a majority in congress and can easily pass the legislation. ADNatalie Southwick, Central and South America program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said conditions for independent journalists in the region were already difficult. The bills introduced in Nicaragua in the past two weeks are the latest in a barrage of measures to curtail independent media. Roughly a dozen journalists in Nicaragua are employed by foreign media outlets or contribute as freelancers to organizations including The Washington Post. ADA Nicaraguan political analyst, José Luis Rocha, said Ortega might have introduced the legislation at this moment to send a message to Washington.

Source: Washington Post October 04, 2020 18:12 UTC