In the name of the Ecuadorian Association of Newspaper Editors (AEDEP for its acronym in Spanish), is very commendable and highly incriminating received today the grand prize IAPA for freedom of press 2016, in the framework of the 72nd General Assembly of the Inter American Press Asociation, given to newspapers edited by private communication companies, whose largest acquis is achieving editorial independence without which we can't conceive freedom of the press and expression in Ecuador.
I must express our appreciation to the Executive Committee of the IAPA, particularly President Pierre Manigault, to the President of the Awards Committee, Marcela Noble Herrera, to the Chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press, Claudio Paolillo, and the Executive Director of the IAPA Ricardo Trotti.
This honorable award is a challenge for the Ecuadorian newspapers partner with AEDEP, because it obligates us to maintain resistance to this Propaganda Estate whose twisted purpose is make private newspapers into peels without content and to silence journalist and columnists that are critics of this authoritarian political regime that President Rafael Correa has built.
Since 2007 and especially 2013, an undemocratic and regressive media law passed with the sole purpose of make Ecuadorian newspaper silent using censorship, harassment and economic strategies. In my country official marketing is used as stimulus or punishment, private marketing is harass and new capital to invest in new media is limited. As of today, 19 radio stations had closed, 3 TV networks, 5 newspapers, 1 magazine, 8 radio stations and television networks with news and opinion content have been seized and 3 networks of already seize newscasts have been manipulated. Ecuador has become a monopoly of thirty radio stations and TV networks. None in a public environment instead used as instruments of government propaganda.
The special court created by the media law called Superintendence of Communication, imposes predesigned content, harasses newspapers with fines that multiply constantly, media and journalist are subject to legal persecution with judgements manipulated by the Ministry of Communications, from an office adjacent to the office of the President. Sanctions are imposed for our news releases, for what others release and for the content that we never release. In Ecuador the President —by force— pretends to be the editor in chief of newspapers, due to the fact that the media law gives him the power to decide what is news and what is not news so often we are imposed headlines and news that are nothing more that government advertisement. Not content with that, Correa has tried to gain more money by filing criminal lawsuits to media, journalists and cartoonists, all of this process by his own defense lawyer, who writes judgements for judges under Correa regime. Let me remind you that in Ecuador the branches of government are not independent.
What I explain very briefly, is the reality of censorship that is express in the most pervasive way, Self-censorship. According to the dogma that is encourage by persecution which we endure, communication is a public good and therefore should be generated and provided by the Government in a way that becomes public service to ensure quality of life, like water and help each citizen not to be poison with unhealthy ideas. Liberty of expression is murder daily in Ecuador in the name of democracy and it is imposed an official speech about our public and private life, even in women choices about their own bodies.
However, in the middle of huge adversities, the struggle against the Correa regime has been less hard by the constant and countless solidarity shown by the Inter American Press Association, the National Press Associations, and by numerous international organizations. I feel obligated to mention Nora Sanín of Andiarios, Colombia; Kela León of the Peruvian Press Council; Daniel Dessein, Carlos Jornet and Martin Etchevers of ADEPA, Argentina; Lourdes de Obaldía, editor of the newspaper La Prensa, Panama; Gustavo Mohme, director of newspaper La República, Peru; Roberto Pombo, editor of newspaper El Tiempo, Colombia; Milton Coleman of The Washington Post; Edward Seaton, of The Manhattan Mercury; Asdrúbal Aguiar, a columnist for El Nacional, Venezuela; Carlos Lauría, of the Committee to Protect Journalists; José Miguel Vivanco, of Human Rights Watch; Rodrigo Bonilla of the World Asoociation of Newspapers, WAN-IFRA; and, especially, Catalina Botero, former special rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. This award is also for them.
It is extremely important to maintain solidarity among us. At some point all of you will be called to help repair all the damage caused in my country.
In the name of all Independent Newspapers is Ecuador I will like to take a moment and express my pain and anger for each journalist persecuted or killed in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Venezuela. In the first six month of this year, Reporters Without Borders registered 21 cases of murder journalist in Latin America, 14 on those cases in Mexico and Guatemala. Some governments seem to have forgotten that journalist protection is a legal priority mandated by Interamerican Legislation.
I conclude by noting that in AEDEP we strongly maintain our fundamental believes about the importance of a free independent press in the political system, because without free independent press is not possible to achieve a deliberative democracy in which public administration in openly discussed and abuse of power, political corruption and human rights violations are questioned. This is possible if real journalism is based on scrupulous research with ethical rigor. Therefore, I want to express our admiration to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina, Mexico, and other countries newspapers that defend their critical thinking and independence giving space to citizens to be heard. This is the best contribution to achieve democratic gains for which more than a century, with enormous sacrifices, persevered the peoples of the region. So in this way they resist, as we resist in Ecuador.
CDMX, October 2016
