The Board of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), meeting in Vienna, Austria, on 12 October 2011, calls on Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa Delgado to reverse recent trends that seriously undermine a free and independent press in Ecuador, by repealing criminal defamation, putting a stop to all forms of harassment against journalists and guaranteeing the full independence of the media in the country.
In April 2011, President Correa filed a US$80 million criminal defamation complaint against media company El Universo, its senior executives Carlos Pérez Barriga, César Pérez Barriga and Nicolás Pérez Lapentti, and one of its columnists Emilio Palacio. The case stems from a critical opinion piece entitled "No a las mentiras" (No to lies) written by Mr Palacio about a police uprising on 30 September 2010. The article was published in the 6 February 2011 edition of El Universo. On 20 July, all four media professionals received three-year sentences for criminal defamation and were ordered to pay the president US$ 30 million in damages. The newspaper company was fined an additional US$10 million. On 20 September, an appeals court upheld the sentence in its integrity. The case has been marked by a set of irregularities that call into question the complete independence of the judicial system. The accused are currently in the process of lodging appeals to other national jurisdictions, such as the National Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court.
Frequent hostile speeches delivered by President Correa on TV and Radio against independent and critical media and the increase in cases of physical aggression against media employees has created a climate of growing fear and division amongst the Ecuadorian press.
The government plans to introduce a ban on privately owned news companies, their directors and principal shareholders from owning any shares outside the news business. Furthermore, it intends to establish a Regulatory Council empowered to regulate media content. The composition of this Council raises serious concerns for independence, as five of its seven members will be either directly appointed by the executive or chosen from institutions close to the government.
The Board of WAN-IFRA calls on President Correa to overturn the conviction against El Universo, its executives and Mr. Palacio. The Board also urges President Correa to do everything in his power to put an end to the ongoing polarisation between private media and the government, and reminds him that a press free and independent from any kind of government, political or economic control is the cornerstone of any solid and long-lasting democracy.
