PEN Nicaragua protests the use of force by several officers of the state police in an incident in which two young Nicaraguan journalists were abused as they covered a trader’s protest in front of the custom offices, at midday on Tuesday.
Lucia Navas and Isayana Martinez both received threats of incarceration by police officers, and had their personal safety put at risk when both were hit forcefully—Lucia Navas with a policeman’s shield, and Isayana Martines with a police baton. The latter was struck as she was willingly getting into a police car that was taking her to the police station. Both journalists work for the print and digital newspaper La Prensa.
PEN Nicaragua deems it fundamental that the State Police behaves in accordance with parameters expected from an institution that forms part of a government which, only last week, when presenting its report on human rights in Geneva, claimed to respect the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. This assurance was a total contradiction to the treatment experienced by the journalists, Navas and Martinez.
Board: Gioconda Belli, Presidenta, Vidaluz Meneses, Juan Carlos Vílchez, Ángela Saballos, Manuel Ortega.
Managua, Nicaragua, May 14, 2014
THE GUATEMALAN PEN CENTER fully supports the declaration from the NICARAGUAN PEN CENTER in protesting the abuse committed by several officers against two female journalists from the newspaper La Prensa, Lucia Navas and Isayana Martinez, while they were covering a traders’ protest in front of the customs offices, last Tuesday at midday.
In showing solidarity with the Nicaraguan PEN Center’s board and with the affected journalists, we hope that there will be a thorough investigation into these acts that infringe freedom of expression, and that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
PEN CENTER GUATEMALA
Board: Carlos René García Escobar, President. Karla Olascoaga, Vice president. Gustavo Bracamonte, Secretary. Dennis Escobar Galicia, Treasurer. Eduardo Blandón, Spokesperson I. Marco A. Luna, Spokesperson II. José Antonio Arana, Spokesperson III.
(Translated by Eva Oddi)
