NicaNotes: Corporate Media Spread Anti-Nicaragua War Propaganda
Alliance for Global JusticeOct 05, 2023
Nicaragua Frees 21 Hondurans, Including MS-13 Gang Leader
The Facts
Nicaragua on Sunday pardoned 21 Honduran prisoners, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) criminal gang leader David Elias Campbell Licona, and deported them to their home country.
Licona — wanted in Honduras on money laundering and gang charges since 2016 — was arrested while carrying more than $400K in cash, following a police operation in Nicaragua's capital, Managua, in 2021.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Though mainstream media often depicts Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega as someone who governs through violence, the fact is that, under his leadership, the nation has become the most peaceful country in Latin America. While many other countries are struggling to fight criminal gangs, Nicaragua has been able to rein them in and hold their members accountable.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's no coincidence that Nicaragua has pardoned a criminal like Campbell Licona, as the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has turned the country into a highly efficient narco-state via collusion with drug traffickers to create a false perception that Nicaragua is an exception to criminal violence. Rather than being a positive development, this transfer is a worrying sign for the region.