Nicaraguan Exiled Journalists in Costa Rica Face Surveillance, Threats: NGO

Exiled Nicaraguan journalists in Costa Rica are reportedly facing a campaign of surveillance and threats orchestrated by agents linked to the Daniel Ortega regime. The NGO Fundación por la Libertad de Expresión y Democracia (FLED) released a report detailing how at least seven journalists have become targets of what it describes as "transnational repression." This alleged campaign has forced some journalists to change their residences and, in severe cases, to flee Costa Rica altogether, undermining the country's status as a safe haven. The report, titled "The exile ceases to be a safe refuge: Nicaraguan journalists face transnational threats and lack of protection," highlights that Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) has warned some communicators about imminent risks to their lives. Tactics documented by FLED include continuous surveillance, death threats via social media, and the leaking of personal information. The NGO has called on the Costa Rican government to immediately enhance its public security mechanisms, emphasizing the need for clear protocols to protect journalists' lives and integrity without forcing them into silence. FLED also pointed to the closure of 54 media outlets and the exile of over 310 media workers from Nicaragua since 2018 as evidence of the systematic dismantling of independent press under the Sandinista dictatorship.

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The exile ceases to be a safe refuge: Nicaraguan journalists face transnational threats and lack of protection