Brazil filmmaker to be deported from Nicaragua

Under criticism for repression and violence, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s administration arrested Brazilian documentary filmmaker Emilia Mello. Mello is expected to be expelled from the country today (Aug. 27), Paulo Abrão, of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), wrote on his Twitter account.

Emilia Mello was arrested as she prepared to film a demonstration, and was taken to the Migration Department to be deported. The incident took place on Saturday (25) and sparked reactions among human rights organizations and bodies linked to the defense of culture.

The Filmmakers’ Association of Nicaragua (Anci) rebuked the decision, describing it as a form of censorship. “This could serve as a rather dangerous precedent for future filmmakers attempting to enter the country to film what has taken place and to tell the world what we’re going through, registering any human rights violations,” the statement released by Anci reads.

On Friday (24), the IACHR warned that human rights are still being violated by the Nicaraguan government, which has “stigmatized and criminalized social protests.”