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Resolution to the Midyear Meeting

Bridgetown, Barbados

April 4 - 7, 2014

WHEREAS the government of Ecuador has chosen to ignore the precautionary measures issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to protect the human rights of independent journalists

WHEREAS the initial work of the Information and Communication Superintendency (Supercom) has contributed to a deterioration of freedom of expression in the past six months

WHEREAS the motion challenging the constitutionality of the Communication Act, issued by President Rafael Correa, remains pending

WHEREAS the judicial system is being used indiscriminately by the executive branch as a way of criminalizing journalists and media outlets in retaliation for their editorial positions

THE IAPA RESOLVES

To insist that the government of Ecuador, headed by Rafael Correa, respect the legal jurisdiction of the inter-American human rights system, and that it adopt the precautionary measures requested by the IACHR, which protect the fundamental rights of the people of Ecuador who have reported violations of their rights

To urge Supercom to put an end to the harassment of private media outlets because its decisions are paving the way toward further undermining freedom of expression and press freedom

To insist to the Constitutional Court that the motion filed by multiple people challenging the constitutionality of the Communication Act be resolved as soon as possible, and that a comprehensive review of the law be conducted so that, as a constitutional mandate, its content is in line with inter-American standards on freedom of expression

To request that the government of Ecuador provide guarantees to private media companies and ensure that independent journalism may be practiced safely

To request that the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, refrain from pursuing legal action for the offenses of defamation and contempt, because this amounts to penalizing people's free speech and persecuting them for their opinions, especially those expressed against public officials.

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