National Press Club condemns assault on press in Ecuador

National Press Club President Mark Hamrick expressed outrage Friday about the president of Ecuador’s systematic and relentless attacks on the press.

Angry over a piece that was critical of him, the Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa has won court rulings-- under questionable circumstances-- that could result in the shuttering of one of Latin America’s most esteemed newspapers and the imprisonment of its journalists.

The case of the paper El Universo is just one of several examples of Correa's attacks on press freedom. Under Correa, defamation suits against reporters have multiplied, and state ownership of media organizations has grown, according to independent monitoring groups.

Hamrick, a broadcast journalist with the Associated Press, said he hoped justice would be served in Ecuador and press freedom protected.

"President Correa has been condemned by human rights and press freedom groups for his mistreatment of reporters," Hamrick said. "It is past time for this type of harassment and intimidation to stop in Ecuador and anywhere else where reporters face jail--or worse--for merely doing their jobs."

The Washington Post in a Jan. 12 editorial called Correa’s campaign against reporters "the most comprehensive and ruthless assault on free media underway in the Western Hemisphere."

In July, three directors of El Universo were sentenced to three years in jail and the paper fined $40 million, enough to bankrupt it, as a result of a defamation suit brought by Correa. Computer forensics later showed that the president’s attorney had written the court’s decision, an independent inquiry found.

Three subsequent rulings have upheld the original one, which raises questions about the autonomy of Ecuador’s judiciary, according to non-governmental groups. Another court decision in the case is due any day now.

"The El Universo story is, unfortunately, not unique," Hamrick said. "The evidence seems clear that the press is under siege in Ecuador. Correa needs to know that concerned people are watching."

The National Press Club, based in Washington, D.C., is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club represents more than 3,200 members worldwide representing every major news organization. The Club was founded in 1908.