Ecuador

ECUADOR There is freedom of the press in Ecuador, with the exception of a few brief, isolated inddents. Two radio stations were shut down in April after the government declared a state of emergency following an lndian rebellion. Press and human rights groups protested the closing of the two stations, one in Latacunga, 60 miles south of the capital, and the second in Riobamba, and the restrictions were lifted a few hours later. In a report sent to the IAPA, the Ecuadorean Radio Braodcasters Association characterized the incident as an "isolated event of only a few hours' duration." However, the measure indicates the vulnerability of freedom of expression, when a government can use national security as a motive to restrict the press. Despite general legislation that gives journalists free access to public documents, most government departments, claiming they act on the basis of other, earlier regulations still on the books, frequently impede such access. Obligatory colegio membership and right of reply are envisioned in the Constitution, but there has been no enabling legislation to put them into effect.