The United States has canceled tourist visas for five of the seven board members of La Nación, Costa Rica’s leading newspaper, a move local groups called unprecedented and a threat to press freedom.

The decision, confirmed by the company in a statement Saturday, was carried out without prior formal notice or a detailed explanation from the State Department, which cited confidentiality laws, News.Az reports, citing UPI.

Those affected include board chairman Pedro Abreu Jiménez, Vice Chairman Luis Javier Castro Lachner, and directors Carmen Montero Luthmer, Luis Carlos Chaves Fonseca and Daniel Lacayo Abreu.

La Nación said the action amounts to pressure linked to its editorial stance, which has been critical of Rodrigo Chaves' government. The newspaper has published investigations on sensitive issues, including sexual harassment allegations and campaign financing.

Chaves, a close ally of Donald Trump on migration and security policies, is to hand over power Friday to his party ally, Laura Fernández, who has pledged to continue migration agreements to receive deportees from the United States.

The Costa Rican Journalists Association and the Institute for Press and Freedom of Expression urged the government to seek explanations from Washington, warning that silence could be seen as complicity in a decision that punishes editorial independence.

The Inter American Press Association also protested the move, warning of a "structural erosion" of freedom of expression in Costa Rica driven by its executive branch. In its 2026 report, Reporters Without Borders recorded a historic drop for Costa Rica in its press freedom index, ranking the country 38th and citing hostility from public authorities toward independent journalism.

The case follows a series of recent U.S. visa revocations affecting Costa Rican public figures, including former President Óscar Arias, Supreme Court justices and opposition lawmakers.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli