Nicaragua Government Removes CNN en Español from the Country for Allegedly “Violating and Injuring the Legal Norms”

On Wednesday, after 25 years of broadcasting in Nicaragua, the government abruptly shut down CNN en Español on the country’s various cable networks.

The Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Post Office (TELCOR) argued that the decision to cut off CNN’s cable signal was made because the network’s programming “contravenes, violates, and harms the legal norms” in Nicaragua, Articulo66 reported.

“In a statement, the state entity says that “in its capacity as a decentralized entity of the State of Nicaragua, in compliance with its functions and powers conferred by the Law (…), it is obliged to ensure the protection, defense, and preservation of the principles, rights and guarantees established in our Political Constitution and other laws on the matter,” the outlet added.

 

CNN released the following statement:

“At CNN en Español we believe in the vital role that press freedom plays in a healthy democracy. Today, the Government of Nicaragua released our television signal, denying Nicaraguans news and information from our network, which they have trusted for more than 25 years. CNN en Español will continue to fulfill its responsibility to the Nicaraguan public, offering our news links on CNNEspanol.com, so that they can have access to information that is not available otherwise. CNN supports our network’s reports and reaffirms its commitment to truth and transparency.”

However, CNN’s Spanish-language YouTube service will continue to stream in Nicaragua.

It wasn’t just CNN that was banned from the country; other networks were shut down as well.

Early in August, the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications suspended another local television station, making eleven total in less than two weeks. Also last month, the Nicaraguan government confiscated the facilities of the newspaper Prensa, one of the most important newspapers in the country.