Where is Nicaraguan Journalist Fabiola Tercero?
asks Reporters Without Borders
“No one has seen or heard anything” from the journalist since July 12, when she reported a raid on her home in Managua, the organization stated.
HAVANA TIMES – The organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the Nicaraguan government this Wednesday to urgently clarify the case of Nicaraguan feminist journalist Fabiola Tercero Castro, who, as they warned, “remains missing without any knowledge of her whereabouts since July 12.”
“No one has seen or heard anything from the independent journalist and feminist activist Fabiola Tercero Castro since July 12, 2024, when she reported a raid on her home (in Managua) by government agents under the command of Commissioner Lidia Baltodano,” RSF stated in an announcement.
In addition to asking the Ortega government to “urgently clarify” this case, RSF demanded that her safety be guaranteed, as concerns grow that the authorities may be involved in her disappearance.
In its statement, titled “Nicaragua continues to attack journalism: where is Fabiola Tercero?”, the organization noted that the journalist was not included in the group of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners who were released and exiled to Guatemala earlier this month following negotiations between the United States and the government led by Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.
“Unlike journalist Víctor Ticay, Tercero was not among the 135 political prisoners released on September 5 as part of the negotiations mediated by Guatemala and the United States,” they pointed out.
According to the information available to RSF, there is no official record of Fabiola Tercero being transferred to La Esperanza, the prison where detained women are usually held.
Nothing is known about Fabiola Tercero
“We are deeply concerned that three months have passed since Fabiola Tercero’s disappearance, right after she reported a raid on her home,” said Artur Romeu, director of RSF’s Latin America office.
“There are legitimate reasons to suspect that government officials may be involved, and it is the responsibility of Nicaraguan authorities to immediately provide any information about her whereabouts,” Romeu added in a written statement.
The executive said that RSF “celebrates the release of Víctor Ticay but emphasizes that the unresolved disappearance of Fabiola Tercero highlights the ongoing risk faced by journalists in Nicaragua.”
The organization, “the possible forced disappearance of Tercero is no surprise, given the vehement repression of journalists in Nicaragua.”
Fabiola Tercero created “El Rincón de Fabi” in 2017, a platform promoting reading to attract new readers in the digital age in Nicaragua through the dynamic of giving away books through bartering or raffles.
Additionally, the organization mentioned the case of Nohelia Gonzalez, a veteran journalist who worked as head of information at the newspaper La Prensa, and who “was expelled from the country in July due to her connection with Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, a prominent critic of the Ortega regime.”
“These incidents are part of a broader repression against the media: more than 200 journalists have been expelled or forced into exile since 2018, according to the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy,” it added.
The Reform of the Cybercrime Law
Furthermore, RSF warned that on September 11, 2024, Nicaragua expedited a reform of its Cybercrime Law, “which intensified the repression against critics and journalists.”
“The law criminalizes sharing any information on social media that the government deems harmful or false, but it lacks clear definitions, paving the way for arbitrary enforcement,” they criticized.
On September 6, the Independent Journalists and Communicators of Nicaragua (PCIN) movement denounced “new and more cruel patterns” of aggression by the Sandinista government against Nicaraguan journalists, forcing at least 275 of them into exile.
Between 2018 and 2023, at least 54 media outlets have been shut down, including five that were raided and had their properties confiscated, including La Prensa, Confidencial, 100% Noticias, and La Trinchera de la Noticia, according to PCIN.