Central America

Staff of Nicaragua’s La Prensa newspaper flee abroad

AFP

A Nicaraguan newspaper critical of President Daniel Ortega’s government said Thursday that its journalists, photographers and other staff have left the country for fear of being jailed.

They will continue publishing the digital version of the paper from exile, the La Prensa daily announced in its latest edition.

“The persecution that the government of Daniel Ortega has directed against the staff of La Prensa has obliged staff to flee the country,” it said.

“Journalists, editors, photographers and other staff were forced to leave Nicaragua… in the last two weeks to protect their safety and freedom.”

The newspaper, at 95, is the oldest in Nicaragua.

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La Prensa said two of its drivers were arrested earlier this month and placed in preventive detention for 90 days on unspecified charges.

This came after raids on the homes of several of the paper’s journalists and photographers.

“This situation forced La Prensa to put its staff under guard and then take them out of the country,” it said.

The newspaper’s editor, Juan Lorenzo Holmann, was arrested in August last year, a day after police raided the newspaper’s offices. Since then, it has been online only.

Holmann is serving a nine-year sentence after being found guilty of money laundering, which his supporters claim is a trumped-up charge.

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The raid on La Prensa came as part of a clampdown on government opponents that saw dozens arrested, including seven would-be presidential candidates in November elections in which Ortega won a much-criticized fourth consecutive term.

Ortega’s government accuses his detained critics of conspiring against it with backing from the United States.

Earlier this week, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists called for the liberation of all jailed media personnel.

Central America

Panama’s former president Martinelli claims political enemies tried to kill him

Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli claimed on Friday that his political enemies intended to kill him once he departed for Nicaragua. Martinelli has been sheltering in Nicaragua’s embassy in Panama City for over a year to evade a money laundering conviction.

“They wanted to kill me,” Martinelli stated in a social media post, without specifying who he was referring to. His remarks came after the safe-conduct pass granted by the Panamanian government for his travel to Managua expired at midnight on Thursday.

In a statement, Panama’s Foreign Ministry announced that the permit had expired without Nicaragua officially agreeing to receive the former president. According to Martinelli, Nicaraguan authorities reconsidered the transfer, suspecting it was an “ambush” or a “trap.”

“It was a vile trap they were trying to set up. On one hand, they pretended to offer me a way out, but on the other, they wanted to ruin me by inventing all sorts of accusations,” Martinelli added, thanking Nicaragua and confirming that he will remain in asylum.

Central America

Guatemalan police officer killed in mob riots over baby kidnapping

A police officer was killed during riots provoked by an enraged mob in a Guatemalan town following the kidnapping of a baby, the government reported on Wednesday.

The incidents began on Tuesday night and continued into the early hours of Wednesday in the town of San Vicente Pacaya, about 25 km south of the capital, according to Minister of the Interior Francisco Jiménez.

“There was an incident in San Vicente Pacaya where, unfortunately, a police officer died after being struck in the head with a stone. He passed away this morning,” Jiménez said in a press conference.

He explained that the unrest erupted following the arrest of two suspects in connection with the kidnapping of “a baby just a few months old,” including a woman with a criminal record.

Sports

Venezuela investigates 18 baseball players seeking asylum in Spain

Maduro calls on military to be alert to alleged plan by "fascist groups"

The Venezuelan government announced on Wednesday that it is investigating the case of 18 baseball players who are “under the supervision of Spanish authorities” after seeking protection.

In a statement, Venezuelan authorities said they are working to determine whether this case involves “a possible human trafficking scheme,” though they have not provided any evidence of such a crime.

The Venezuelan government emphasized its commitment to protecting the country’s athletes while also denouncing the use of international legal frameworks by certain governments allegedly seeking to discredit the administration.

CNN reached out to Spain’s National Police for a response to Venezuela’s claims. According to Spanish authorities, the 18 young athletes—including two minors—arrived in Spain to participate in a series of matches but had already planned to apply for asylum. Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that they had begun interviewing the players to process their international protection requests.

The team’s coach addressed the situation in a TikTok video, refuting local media reports that he had abandoned the athletes. He asserted that the players chose to remain in Barcelona to secure the necessary permits to sign with other teams and that their decision was unrelated to any political motivations.