WHEREAS the government of President Rafael Correa is maintaining a constant campaign to silence and discredit independent news media and criminalize social protest
WHEREAS the Inter-American Human Rights System, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter American Press Association are the targets of presidential criticisms for acting upon requests by Ecuadorean social groups
WHEREAS an executive order made by the Presidency of Ecuador amends the Telecommunications Law and includes the control of Internet users in Ecuador
WHEREAS there continues to be harassment of cartoonists and journalists of opinion in actions by the Communication Superintendent's Office with the aim of obtaining self-censorship, by among others Alfredo Pinoargote, Diego Oquendo, Alfonso Espinoza de los Monteros, Gonzalo Rosero, Ramiro Cueva Atarihuana, María Josefa Coronel, Janeth Hinostroza, Tania Tinoco, Roberto Aguilar, cartoonists Xavier Bonilla (Bonil) and Ponto Moreno (Luján) heading the long list of journalists attacked by the regime
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 IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES
to once more urge the government of President Rafael Correa to cease the attacks upon independent journalists, editorial writers and news media
to reject the government of Ecuador's criticisms of the IAPA and of the Inter-American Human Rights System
to denounce to international public opinion that in Ecuador there is no end to the governmental political harassment on social media and that there have been lost the guarantees of freedom of expression in all areas and news media in the country, and that President Rafael Correa is an intolerant player who, taking advantage of the power that his role as head of state gives him, in his public presentations constantly attacks journalists and media, through which he has dangerously degraded freedom of opinion, of the press and of expression in the country.
