Ecuador's El Universo Case
In July 2011, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa charged the three owners and one journalist of the daily newspaper El Universo with defamation for an opinion article written by columnist Emilio Palacio.
- According to a special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, since President Correa took office, he has built a network of more than 15 state-owned media outlets, and he has brought to court—and won—several defamation cases, including the case against El Universo.
Fundamedios, an organization working to protect press freedom in Ecuador, registered 156 aggressions against freedom of expression in 2011, the most of all Andean countries for that year. A Washington Post opinion article called Correa’s attempts to quash press freedom “the most comprehensive and ruthless assault on free media underway in the Western hemisphere.” 
BBC News - Ecuador journalists convicted in Correa libel caseJul 21, 2011 ... An Ecuador judge sentences three directors and a former columnist of main opposition newspaper El Universo to jail for...
Emilio Palacio : NO a las mentiras - FEB. 06, 2011 - COLUMNISTAS ...6 Feb 2011 ... NO a las mentiras - Esta semana, por segunda ocasión, la Dictadura informó a través de uno de sus voceros que el Dictado...
Ecuador newspaper columnist seeks US asylumPalacio was formerly the chief opinion writer for Ecuador's opposition newspaper El Universo. Palacio, the paper's three owners a...- Translation: "The court is deliberating. Our arguments were convincing. We hope that justice will prevail. Take heart!"
- Translation: "In Ecuador, yesterday the judges confirmed the Mayan prophecy. El Universo (the universe) will end in 2012. Thank God the Mayans were talking about that 'Universo.'"
El Universo verdict bad precedent for free press in Americas ...5 days ago ... New York, February 16, 2012--Today's decision by Ecuador's highest court to uphold the criminal libel conviction...- Translation: "It is really embarrassing to know that in Ecuador there is no justice and democracy is in full decline, I can only say that nobody is eternal in this world and that even the worst tyrants in the world have fallen .... my solidarity with El Universo ...."
Hoy se confirma la dependencia de la justicia con el poder ejecutivo! No hay justicia en el Ecuador #casouniverso- Translation: "Today, justice's dependency on the executive powers was confirmed! There is no justice in Ecuador."
- Supporters of Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa launch anti-press campaignThe Ecuadorian Embassy in Spain wrote a letter to the Spanish media demanding that journalists respect the Ecuadorian Supreme Court's...
@AlexBarandearan Es impresionante la cantidad de gente a la que este periódico ha perjudicado!- Translation: "The number of people this newspaper has hurt is amazing!"
@MashiRafael total apoyoo !! #casouniverso!! No mas noticias cn mentiras qeremos ver oir solo la vdd- Translation: "@MashiRafael complete support!! No more news with lies we want to see and hear only the truth."
Human Rights Group Asks Ecuador To Suspend Sentence In El Universo CaseLast week Ecuador's National Court Of Justice upheld a lower court decision that sentenced El Universo's three owners and a forme...
Ecuador's authoritarian creep -- and Washington's silence | Shadow ...Jan 25, 2012 ... Editorials in the Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times have harshly criticized his efforts to drag th...
Despite pardon, Correa does lasting damage to press - Committee ...Feb 27, 2012 ... New York, February 27, 2012--Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa announced today that he would pardon several news manag...
