Nicaragua has withdrawn from the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) after the body acknowledged the exiled La Prensa newspaper as part of the organization's press freedom awards.

UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said on Sunday that she "regrets" the country's decision, adding that it would "deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation, particularly in the fields of education and culture."

The organization is "fully within its mandate" of defending freedom of expression and freedom of the press, Azoulay said.

The Nicaraguan government denounced UNESCO's decision, saying it gives prominence to "the traitors, slaves and lackeys of colonialism and imperialism," adding the organization "totally abandons any sense of objectivity."

Nicaragua's newspaper in exile

La Prensa's staff have been forced to publish from abroad since Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega tightened his grip on power.

In 2021, police stormed the newspaper's offices, arresting its general manager Juan Lorenzo Holmann. Holmann was deported to the US in 2023.

Nicaraguan authorities accused La Prensa of promoting "military and political interventions" by the US in Nicaragua.

A blow for UNESCO

The 2025 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was awarded to La Prensa on the recommendation of an international jury of media professionals.

The prize was established by UNESCO members in 1997.

Nicaragua's withdrawal is a blow to the organization, that's also been criticized by US President Donald Trump, who withdrew the US from UNESCO in his first term due to what it said was an anti-Israel bias.

The US rejoined UNESCO in 2023 under the Biden administration.

Edited by: Zac Crellin