NICARAGUA

WHEREAS
the National Assembly of Nicaragua approved Law No. 372 (Law Creating the Journalists Colegio of Nicaragua)

WHEREAS
Law No. 372 requires licensing of journalists

WHEREAS
licensing is a violation of Principle 8 of the Declaration of Chapultepec and violates several articles of the Nicaraguan Constitution, as well as Articles 13 and 29 of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

WHEREAS
the Nicaraguan government has punished El Nuevo Diario, drastically reducing advertising from the executive branch and independent agencies because of its editorial stance

WHEREAS
Principle 6 of the Declaration of Chapultepec says, "The media and journalists should neither be discriminated against nor favored because of what they write or say," Principle 7 says, "Tariff and exchange policies, licenses for the importation of paper or news-gathering equipment, the assigning of radio and television frequencies and the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists"

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
to ask the Constitutional Division of the Supreme Court to uphold the constitutional appeals filed against Law No. 372 and declare licensing of journalists unconstitutional

to condemn discrimination against El Nuevo Diario in placement of government advertising and urge the government to revise and correct the methods used to place government advertising.