Both the newspapers La Prensa and El Nuevo Diario, two of the most important morning newspapers in Nicaragua, could stop circulating very soon due to the retention of raw materials by the government of Daniel Ortega.
“The measure is forced (on us) by the circumstances of the retention, arbitrary and unjustified, made by the General Directorate of Customs Services (DGA) of the paper and ink with which this newspaper is printed,” explained the Editorial Group La Prensa in its edition printed today Monday.
According to this editorial group, which also includes the newspaper HOY, the Government has “sequestered” 92 tons of paper since October 17, valued at more than US$72,000 dollars.
In recent days La Prensa has been forced to reduce its number of pages due to the shortage of ink and paper.
“The reduction of the page is an effort to extend the life of La Prensa,” the newspaper reported.
The same at the El Nuevo Diario
For its part, El Nuevo Diario also complained that a situation similar to that of La Prensa.
According to Arnulfo Somarriba, Manager of ND Medios, “the DGA retained a shipment of newsprint imported by El Nuevo Diario a week ago, and since September 6, 2018, the Customs office has also retained ink and other raw materials necessary for the printing of this newspaper.”
ND Medios, in addition to El Nuevo Diario, publishes other newspapers such as the Metro and Q’Hubo.
The move on the El Nuevo Diario is surprising since it has been bland in comparison to La Prensa and others in its reporting of the Ortega repression in Nicaragua.
“It (the situation) is practically forcing us to close the printed versions of the newspapers and leaving us only with the digital, but in the digital domain thousands of citizens are left without access to information because of the low internet connectivity that exists in the country,” lamented the deputy director of El Nuevo Diario, Douglas Carcache.
Since the start of the sociopolitical crisis in the country last April, some 57 Nicaraguan journalists have gone into exile, mostly for security reasons but others because they have lost their jobs.
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