Conviction Upheld for El Universo Journalist, Board Members

  

In a harsh blow to the country’s press freedom, an Ecuadorean appeals court upheld a July 20 judgment convicting Emilio Palacio and three El Universo’s board members for “aggravated defamation against a public official” after they published a column highly critical of Correa. Palacio’s February 6 column criticized the acts of the President during the police rebellion of September 2010. The four were convicted on crimes of aggravated defamation and will serve a three-year prison sentence and be forced to pay a  fine of more than U.S. $40 million.
 

Freedom of press and expression have faced serious setbacks in Ecuador since 2010. Libel and defamation remain criminal offenses punishable by up to three years in jail, and the regulatory framework is increasingly being used to restrict media freedom. A culture of harassment against journalists has resulted in part from President Rafael Correa’s open hostility to the media, and the country’s two-year-old constitution contains worrisome provisions on freedom of expression. In addition to hostile government rhetoric and regulatory actions, Ecuadorian journalists have faced a sharp uptick in physical threats and attacks.
 

Freedom House condemns the decision by the court to uphold the harsh sentences against Palacio and three El Universo executives, and calls upon Ecuadorean authorities to revise the ruling and to support freedom of expression by repealing its criminal defamation law.

Learn more:

Freedom in the World 2011: Ecuador

Freedom of the Press 2011: Ecuador