Paris, May 4 (AP) UNESCO on Sunday announced the withdrawal of Nicaragua from the UN cultural and educational body because of the awarding of a UNESCO prize celebrating press freedom to a Nicaraguan newspaper, La Prensa.

UNESCO's director general, Audrey Azoulay, announced that she had received a letter Sunday morning from the Nicaraguan government announcing its withdrawal because of the attribution of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

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"I regret this decision, which will deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation, particularly in the fields of education and culture. UNESCO is fully within its mandate when it defends freedom of expression and press freedom around the world,” Azoulay said in a statement.

Nicaragua was one of 194 member states in UNESCO. The body's members set up the press freedom prize in 1997, and the 2025 award was attributed Saturday to La Prensa on the recommendation of an international jury of media professionals. (AP)

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