Ecuador

WHEREAS during the past six months attacks on independent media by the government have continued; WHEREAS case law now includes a sentence of three years in prison and $40 million in fine for the publication of an opinion article; WHEREAS at this time a bill is in final debate in the National Assembly for a Communications Law that disrespects constitutional provisions and international accords that the state is obliged to meet; WHEREAS there is a penal code reform pending in the National Assembly that contains articles that penalize slander, especially that which is considered to be directed toward public servants; WHEREAS the Legislature and the Executive approved the Code of Democracy which maintains varioius limitations on the media, and against which five suits of unconstitutionality have been brought; WHEREAS Principle 5 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: ”Prior censorship, restrictions on the circulation of the media or dissemination of their reports, forced publication of information, the imposition of obstacles to the free flow of news, and restrictions on the activities and movements of journalists directly contradict freedom of the press.” THE MIDYEAR MEETING OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to demand that the government cease its verbal aggression and intimidation against independent media; to support the daily efforts of the newspaper El Universo before the Inter American Commission on Human Rights to vacate the conviction of journalist Emilio Palacio, the medium, and its directors. to demand of authorities a thorough investigation to clarify the origin of the questionable sentence against journalist Emilio Palacio, the directors of El Universo, and that paper itself; to demand to the National Assembly and the government that a Communications Law must respect constitutional provisions and international agreements on freedom of expression and the press; to demand that the National Assembly not include the matter of contempt in the reform of the penal code to penalize freedom of expression and opinion; to demand that Constitutional Court accept the claims of unconstitutionality against the Code of Democracy.