{
  "id": 113,
  "slug": "2023-nicaragua-strips-journalists-citizenship",
  "title": "Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents, including journalists, of citizenship",
  "occurred_on": "2023-02-15",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "NI",
  "country": "NI",
  "continent": "north-america",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "expulsion_and_visa_denial",
  "leader_slug": "daniel-ortega",
  "issue_of_the_day": "The rulings followed years of pressure on Nicaragua's independent press, including the earlier forced closure of the country's oldest newspaper, La Prensa, and came days after Ortega's government released 222 jailed dissidents to the United States and stripped their citizenship as well.",
  "outcome": "sustained",
  "outcome_on": null,
  "outcome_note": "Citizenship was not restored to those named; Ortega's government continued comparable actions against critics afterward.",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2020s",
  "summary": "A Nicaraguan appeals court stripped 94 government opponents, including exiled journalists Carlos Fernando Chamorro and Alvaro Navarro, of their citizenship, days after President Daniel Ortega released 222 political prisoners to the United States and immediately declared them stateless too.{c:428}{c:429}{c:430}",
  "what_happened": "On February 15, 2023, a Nicaraguan appeals court stripped 94 government opponents, described in the ruling as human rights defenders, politicians, journalists and students, of their Nicaraguan citizenship, on top of 222 political prisoners flown to the United States days earlier who had already been declared stateless. Journalists Carlos Fernando Chamorro and Alvaro Navarro were among those named. Appeals Court Justice Ernesto Rodriguez Mejia said those affected were guilty of \"spreading false news\" and conspiring to undermine national integrity. Navarro responded that he remained Nicaraguan regardless of the ruling. Civil Rights Defenders said Ortega was clearly trying to eliminate anyone who stood up against his government and called for international bodies to raise Nicaragua's deteriorating human rights record.{c:428}{c:429}{c:430}{c:486}",
  "stated_justification": "The court found those whose citizenship had been revoked guilty of \"spreading false news\" and \"conspiracy to undermine national integrity.\"{c:428}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "Exiled Nicaraguan journalists, already unable to work safely inside the country, lost their legal nationality entirely, cutting off their ability to hold a Nicaraguan passport or return under any legal status.{c:429}",
  "unknowns": null,
  "status": "in_effect",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:34Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 6,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:28Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T00:38:46Z",
  "stage": "eliminate",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "Nicaragua",
  "tactics": [
    "expulsion_and_visa_denial",
    "disinformation_labeling"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "daniel-ortega",
    "name": "Daniel Ortega",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/daniel-ortega"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-nicaragua-strips-journalists-citizenship",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T23:16:34Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 2,
    "status": "in_effect",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": null
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "daniel-ortega",
      "name": "Daniel Ortega",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "ordered",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/daniel-ortega"
    },
    {
      "slug": "nicaraguan-court-of-appeals",
      "name": "Nicaraguan Court of Appeals",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "enforced",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/nicaraguan-court-of-appeals"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [
    {
      "slug": "la-prensa",
      "name": "La Prensa",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/la-prensa"
    }
  ],
  "journalists": [
    {
      "slug": "carlos-fernando-chamorro",
      "name": "Carlos Fernando Chamorro",
      "outlet": "la-prensa",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/carlos-fernando-chamorro"
    }
  ],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 428,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 113,
      "field": "stated_justification",
      "value": "Court cites spreading false news",
      "statement": "The appeals court justice said those whose citizenship had been revoked were guilty of spreading false news and conspiring against national integrity.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 301,
      "evidence_quote": "spreading false news",
      "evidence_date": "2023-02-16",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:29Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 301,
        "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
        "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
        "title": "Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents of citizenship",
        "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
        "published_on": "2023-02-16",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/428"
    },
    {
      "id": 429,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 113,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Navarro refuses to accept the ruling",
      "statement": "Journalist Alvaro Navarro said he remained Nicaraguan regardless of the government's ruling.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 301,
      "evidence_quote": "I am Nicaraguan by the grace of God… if they think they're going to bring me to my knees, they are tangled.",
      "evidence_date": "2023-02-16",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:30Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 301,
        "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
        "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
        "title": "Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents of citizenship",
        "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
        "published_on": "2023-02-16",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/429"
    },
    {
      "id": 430,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 113,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "Civil Rights Defenders condemns the action",
      "statement": "Civil Rights Defenders said Ortega was clearly trying to eliminate anyone who opposed his government.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 302,
      "evidence_quote": "Daniel Ortega is clearly attempting to get rid of all those who dare stand up against his regime.",
      "evidence_date": "2023-02-17",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:30Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 302,
        "url": "https://crd.org/2023/02/17/political-opposition-stripped-of-citizenship/",
        "final_url": "https://crd.org/2023/02/17/political-opposition-stripped-of-citizenship/",
        "title": "Nicaragua: Political opposition stripped of citizenship",
        "publisher": "Civil Rights Defenders",
        "published_on": "2023-02-17",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/430"
    },
    {
      "id": 486,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 113,
      "field": "occurred_on",
      "value": "2023-02-15",
      "statement": "The appeals court justice announced the loss of citizenship of the 94 people on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, according to Al Jazeera's report of February 16.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 301,
      "evidence_quote": "The 94 people were “traitors” and would have their properties confiscated, Appeals Court Justice Ernesto Rodríguez Mejía said in a statement on Wednesday.",
      "evidence_date": "2023-02-16",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "high",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "corrections-v2-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T00:38:45Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 301,
        "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
        "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
        "title": "Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents of citizenship",
        "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
        "published_on": "2023-02-16",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/486"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 301,
      "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
      "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/nicaragua-strips-94-political-opponents-of-citizenship",
      "title": "Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents of citizenship",
      "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
      "published_on": "2023-02-16",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
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    },
    {
      "id": 302,
      "url": "https://crd.org/2023/02/17/political-opposition-stripped-of-citizenship/",
      "final_url": "https://crd.org/2023/02/17/political-opposition-stripped-of-citizenship/",
      "title": "Nicaragua: Political opposition stripped of citizenship",
      "publisher": "Civil Rights Defenders",
      "published_on": "2023-02-17",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
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    }
  ],
  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-nicaragua-strips-journalists-citizenship/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents, including journalists, of citizenship. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-nicaragua-strips-journalists-citizenship. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}