<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The People's Party (PP) Parliamentary Group in Congress has urged the government to "assess the legal and humanitarian situation" of seven Nicaraguan journalists exiled in Costa Rica who have formally requested protection from Spain, including the possibility of accessing the procedure for granting Spanish nationality through a letter of naturalization, "as was already done for the 222 stateless Nicaraguans recognized in 2023."</strong></h4> In a non-legislative motion presented on August 29 for debate in the Foreign Affairs Committee, the People's Party (PP) denounces that the Nicaraguan regime, led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, "has intensified in recent years a strategy of systematic repression against journalists, human rights defenders, activists, and members of civil society," a repression that has been widely documented by international organizations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the UN Group of Experts on Nicaragua, and numerous non-governmental organizations dedicated to press freedom and the defense of fundamental rights. "One of the most alarming and recent manifestations of this repression is the practice known as de facto statelessness, consisting of the deliberate refusal by the Nicaraguan state to renew or issue official documentation (passports, birth certificates, identity cards) to citizens critical of the regime, particularly journalists," the PP continues. “This practice, which does not require a formal legal act of denationalization, has equally devastating effects by depriving people of their legal identity, limiting their freedom of movement, preventing their access to basic services, and thus leaving them completely legally defenseless,” it states. Numerous international reports have indicated that this tactic represents a flagrant violation of international law, and the United Nations Group of Experts has warned that these practices “could constitute crimes against humanity, as they involve systematic acts of persecution and exclusion for political reasons,” it adds. In this context, the People's Party recalls, seven Nicaraguan journalists currently exiled in Costa Rica have formally requested the Spanish government to avail themselves of the exceptional procedure for granting nationality through a letter of naturalization, as was already done for the 222 stateless Nicaraguans recognized in 2023. The request was submitted on June 19 to the Spanish Consulate General in San José and is addressed to the King, the President of the Government, the Vice Presidents, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress. The request is also supported by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Madrid Press Association (APM). Among the signatories of this petition, according to the PP, are "journalists with recognized careers," such as Carmen Lucía Navas (director of <em>Expediente Público</em>), Óscar Navarrete (photographer for the newspaper <em>La Prensa</em>), Gerall Chávez (<em>Nicaragua Actual</em>), Donaldo Hernández (<em>VOA Noticias</em>), Luis Eduardo Martínez (<em>Mosaico</em>), Tania López and Reyna Tapia (<em>Entrepatrias</em>). All of them have suffered direct persecution, institutional harassment, threats, and the confiscation or closure of their media outlets. "Their independent reporting, focused on denouncing human rights violations, corruption, and abuses of power, has made them priority targets of the Ortega-Murillo regime's transnational repression," the report states. A group of thirteen Nicaraguan journalists, including writers Sergio Ramírez and Gioconda Belli (exiled in Spain and stripped of their nationality), also called on Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares this past Monday to protect the seven Nicaraguan journalists, "victims of state terrorism" in Nicaragua. They praised the "sensitivity and commitment" demonstrated by Spain "in extending Spanish nationality to Nicaraguans exiled and stripped of their citizenship." The People's Party recalls that Spain has "legal and constitutional instruments that allow it to act effectively in cases of special humanitarian gravity or international significance." "This is not about interfering in internal affairs, but about pursuing a foreign policy consistent with international commitments to human rights and the values that underpin our constitutional order," the PP warns. “Consequently, in the current context of Nicaragua, it is necessary to strengthen Spain's position as a host country, committed to freedom of expression, international protection, and the denunciation of modern forms of political persecution,” it concludes. Therefore, the motion urges the Government to “recognize the existence of a systematic strategy of repression exercised by the Nicaraguan regime, which includes the arbitrary denial of official documentation to journalists and dissidents” and to “assess the legal and humanitarian situation of the seven Nicaraguan journalists exiled in Costa Rica who have formally requested protection from Spain, recognizing their particular vulnerability and facilitating, where appropriate, their access to the procedure for granting Spanish nationality by letter of naturalization, in accordance with the provisions of Article 21.1 of the Civil Code.” It also urges the Executive to strengthen its support and assistance to journalists and human rights defenders persecuted by authoritarian regimes who request asylum in Spain, in coordination with international organizations, professional associations, and entities defending press freedom, and to "reflect in relevant international forums the Government's concern regarding the repressive practices of the Ortega-Murillo regime."
