{"code":"26323","sect":"Central America","sect_slug":"central-america","hits":"884","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202208\/centroamerica\/26323","link_edit":"","name":"Rodrigo Chaves Plays Central American Hardball with the Press","slug":"rodrigo-chaves-plays-central-american-hardball-with-the-press","info":"Costa Rica, in Brief: Amid multiple corruption and misconduct probes muddling his first three months in office, President Rodrigo Chaves has lashed out at the press. In July authorities shuttered a business financing the operations of leading newspaper La Naci\u00f3n, a move marking a sharp escalation in attacks against press freedom in a country that has for years provided safe haven for journalists fleeing neighboring Nicaragua. Subscribe to our newsletter","mtag":"Newsletter","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/rgressier'\u003E Roman Gressier\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"roman-gressier":{"sort":"rgressier","slug":"roman-gressier","path":"roman_gressier","name":"Roman Gressier","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"884","pict":{"cms-image-000037886-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"37886","name":"cms-image-000037886.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037886.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037886.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037886-jpg","text":"<p>Conservative economist and ex-finance minister Ricardo Chaves speaks at his swearing-in as president of Costa Rica in San Jos\u00e9 on May 8, 2022. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EConservative economist and ex-finance minister Ricardo Chaves speaks at his swearing-in as president of Costa Rica in San Jos\u00e9 on May 8, 2022. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037887-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37887","name":"cms-image-000037887.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037887.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037887.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037887-jpg","text":"<p>Costa Rican President-Elect Rodrigo Chaves greets supporters of his Social Democratic Progress Party at his closing campaign event in San Jos\u00e9 on March 25, 2022. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ECosta Rican President-Elect Rodrigo Chaves greets supporters of his Social Democratic Progress Party at his closing campaign event in San Jos\u00e9 on March 25, 2022. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":37886,"date":{"live":"2022\/08\/11"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2022","data_post_dateLive_MM":"08","data_post_dateLive_DD":"11","text":"\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cFeudal lords.\u201d \u201cRats.\u201d \u201cBad people looking to harm this country.\u201d Three months into his presidency, the controversial, embattled Rodrigo Chaves has given Costa Ricans an unsparing earful of his feelings toward the press. In that respect, even the leader of the \u2018Switzerland of Central America\u2019 is no exception to the Central American rule.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe press has closely followed the administration\u2019s first scandals, including public feuding over his decision to maintain a Covid-19 vaccine mandate and a weekslong Russian ransom cyberattack on government servers that led him to \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/05\/17\/us\/politics\/russia-hacking-costa-rica.html\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Edeclare a state of emergency\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E two weeks after taking office in May.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe Costa Rican politisphere bristled at press reports during the emergency in May that the president\u2019s chief of staff \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nacion.com\/el-pais\/politica\/casa-presidencial-ordena-hermetismo-a\/SJ5BPCFYGNFIFIKZ4LTIXED3HE\/story\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Etold government press specialists\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E to limit access to public information. \u201cDon\u2019t see it as censorship, but as extreme discipline,\u201d he said, per top newspaper La Naci\u00f3n. One person present in the private meeting where the order was given told the outlet that the chief of staff called the press the \u201cenemy.\u201d\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe president \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.larepublica.net\/noticia\/rodrigo-chaves-sobre-supuesto-hermetismo-y-censura-a-la-prensa-aca-tienen-personas-reales-dando-la-cara-y-no-anonimos\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Edismissed the reporting as lies\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-aa0e804c-7fff-d01e-a882-2371e7b5c465\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut an especially sore spot for Chaves are \u003Cstrong\u003Emultiple corruption and misconduct allegations\u003C\/strong\u003E. First is \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202204\/centroamerica\/26114\/Costa-Rica-Chooses-Trump-Inspired-Outsider.htm\"\u003Eevidence aired in public for months\u003C\/a\u003E that he paid for various campaign expenditures from parallel funds not passing through legal party finance. If the Supreme Electoral Tribunal finds fault and the Attorney General\u2019s Office decides to indict him, he could later face criminal charges punishable by up to six years in prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENext are assertions that, while finance minister in 2019, Chaves failed to protect investors from a tax scam by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.crhoy.com\/nacionales\/con-un-mes-en-el-poder-rodrigo-chaves-acumula-cinco-causas-en-fiscalia\/\"\u003Efinancial services firm Grupo Aldesa\u003C\/a\u003E. A victim of the scam alleged the same for two of his predecessors. He told the press last year that tax authorities did not inform him of the affair, making him unable to duly report it. On June 23 a judge dismissed the allegations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ELast are reports now under investigation by the Attorney General\u2019s Office that Chaves negotiated the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/semanariouniversidad.com\/pais\/hijo-de-calixto-chaves-sobre-extension-de-contrato-a-su-empresa-en-puerto-caldera-ahora-si-nos-dan-pelota\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Eextension through 2031 of the rights to operate Puerto Caldera\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E to the company of the son of his campaign manager-turned-advisor Calixto Chaves. In exchange, the company allegedly promised to invest in easing overcrowding at the pacific port.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChaves \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/es\/costa-rica-rodrigo-chaves-llega-a-fiscal%C3%ADa-para-conocer-causas-en-su-contra\/a-62164136\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Efervently denies any wrongdoing\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E; he has called the probes \u201cfrivolous and absurd\u201d and argues that in other countries they would constitute an \u201cabuse of process.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37887 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Costa Rican President-Elect Rodrigo Chaves greets supporters of his Social Democratic Progress Party at his closing campaign event in San Jos\u00e9 on March 25, 2022. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Costa Rican President-Elect Rodrigo Chaves greets supporters of his Social Democratic Progress Party at his closing campaign event in San Jos\u00e9 on March 25, 2022. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cMost of the acts of public corruption affecting the public have been reported as a result of journalistic investigations,\u201d Emma Lizano, the former president of the Costa Rican Journalists\u2019 Association, told El Faro English. \u201cIt appears that restrictions on access to information have become a trend in this government as it attacks journalists and deliberately cuts off access to information.\u201d\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESafe Haven?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe new head of state has directed particular ire toward the biggest newspaper of the country, the historic La Naci\u00f3n. In July authorities suspended the operating permit of an event center owned by parent company Grupo Naci\u00f3n that finances the paper, allegedly for obstructing traffic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a press conference the president accused the outlet and its reporter assigned to Casa Presidencial, Juan Diego C\u00f3rdoba, of \u003Cstrong\u003E\u201clibeling the homeland\u201d for reporting on the shuttering\u003C\/strong\u003E. C\u00f3rdoba was also part of the team who revealed the evidence of parallel campaign finance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThis isn\u2019t about freedom of expression. It\u2019s a tiny business group that thinks that its last names and ancestry entitle it to its every whim and caprice,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/es\/rodrigo-chaves-la-naci%C3%B3n-de-costa-rica-ha-difamado-a-la-patria\/a-62464167\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Esaid Chaves\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, similar to Guatemalan prosecutors\u2019 claims this month that a new money laundering case against senior journalist Jos\u00e9 Rub\u00e9n Zamora \u201chas nothing to do with his journalism.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EChaves added: \u201cIn Costa Rica nobody wears a crown, especially not as long as I, Rodrigo Chaves, am president.\u201d The Inter-American Press Association (SIP) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.sipiapa.org\/notas\/1215269-preocupa-la-sip-campana-amedrentamiento-contra-el-diario-la-nacion-costa-rica\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Econdemned the revocation\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and remarks, recalling his \u003Cstrong\u003Ecampaign promises to \u201cdestroy\u201d La Naci\u00f3n, Canal 7\u003C\/strong\u003E, and others for \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202204\/centroamerica\/26114\/Costa-Rica-Chooses-Trump-Inspired-Outsider.htm\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Ereporting on sexual harassment allegations\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and illicit campaign finance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe president had choice words for SIP, too, accusing Grupo Naci\u00f3n of \u201dasking for little favors from their partners and friends at the [SIP] to defend their shady interests.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECosta Rican political scientist Tatiana Benavides told El Faro English that the hostilities are \u201cpart of a strategy to discredit the press in the public eye and present monitoring and questioning as a campaign against him, just like other governments with populist traits in the region.\u201d She added: \u201cHe has a better attitude toward those who don\u2019t question him.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EPerhaps a paradox of the flare-up is that the formerly little-known Chaves capitalized on the support and public image of high-profile former journalist Pilar Cisneros, now a member of the legislature, to build his campaign.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cPress freedom in Costa Rica is in good health. The government will defend it at any cost,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/es\/rodrigo-chaves-la-naci%C3%B3n-de-costa-rica-ha-difamado-a-la-patria\/a-62464167\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003EChaves said in July on national television\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E as the Naci\u00f3n affair escalated. \u201cHas a single outlet been closed? A journalist detained? Printing stopped? Obviously not.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCosta Rica is not the only nation to turn to this tactic,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nacion.com\/opinion\/editorial\/editorial-prensa-canalla\/F2NI7PVTMFC3XG4UJRB5YQWBRU\/story\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Ewrote the editorial board of La Naci\u00f3n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E in July, in reference to Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. \u201cRather, the country has arrived late to the phenomenon propelled on social media and by troll armies at the beck and call of this region\u2019s rulers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s ironic that Costa Rica remains a \u003Cstrong\u003Ehaven for journalists exiled from Daniel Ortega\u2019s Nicaragua\u003C\/strong\u003E. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/divergentes\/divergentesperiodismo-en-pie-a-pesar-de-todo?e=b6e8beb370\"\u003EHundreds of journalists\u003C\/a\u003E have fled the country since 2018. This month the government shuttered Catholic media outlets in Matagalpa. In July, the entire team of historic newspaper La Prensa fled the country, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.divergentes.com\/personal-de-la-prensa-se-exilia-tras-asedio-y-persecucion-del-regimen-ortega-murillo\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Eleaving it without print media\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA final aside: On Thursday Costa Rica joined the rest of Central America in approving Nicaragua\u2019s pick for new secretary of the Central American Integration System (SICA). A month ago, we told you how \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202206\/centroamerica\/26247\/Ortega-Finds-Complicity-in-Central-American-Presidents.htm\"\u003Eregional leaders have increasingly warmed to the Ortega-Murillo regime\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEditor\u2019s Note:\u003C\/strong\u003E This newsletter has been updated to include that at the end of June a judge dismissed the accusations of dereliction of duty in a tax scam case, filed by financial firm Grupo Aldesa against President Chaves.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"}