PEN International welcomes the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ (IACHR) recent intervention in the criminal libel case against the Ecuadoran daily newspaper, El Universo. On February 21, 2012, the IACHR ordered the Ecuadoran government to suspend the enforcement of the sentences handed down to the directors and former editor of the newspaper, pending a hearing between both parties. The hearing is scheduled for March 28, 2012, in Washington, DC.

Background Information

On February 21, 2012, the IACHR addressed the Ecuadoran government:
 
Los hechos denunciados de la Comisión podrían constituir daños irreparables al derecho de libertad de expresión de los señores Emilio Palacio, Carlos Nicolás Pérez Lapentti, Carlos Pérez Barriga and César Pérez Barriga. En consecuencia, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos solicita al Gobierno de Vuestra Excelencia que suspenda de inmediato los efectos de la sentencia del 15 de febrero de 2012, a fin de garantizar el derecho a la libertad de expresión.
 
(The facts reported to the Commission could constitute irreparable damage to Emilio Palacio’s, Carlos Nicolás Pérez Lapentti’s, Carlos Pérez Barriga’s and César Pérez Barriga’s right to free expression. Therefore, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights calls on Your Excellency’s government to immediately suspend the execution of the sentencing of 15 February 2012, with the object of guaranteeing freedom of expression.)
 
On July 20, 2011, former editor of the newspaper Emilio Palacio and directors Carlos Nicolás Pérez Lapentti, Carlos Pérez Barriga, and César Pérez Barriga were each sentenced to three years in prison for publishing an article that President Correa said offended his honor. The ruling also awarded Correa US$40 million in compensation. This decision, which represented a crushing blow to freedom of expression in Ecuador, was upheld by the Supreme Court on February 16, 2012.
 
On February 8, 2012, PEN issued a statement on the worrying state of free expression in Ecuador, calling for the withdrawal of the case against El Universo and the decriminalizing of libel.

Write A Letter

  • Protesting the three-year prison sentences and US$40 million in fines imposed on El Universo columnist Emilio Palacio and the newspaper’s directors Carlos Eduardo Pérez Barriga, César Enrique Pérez Barriga, and Carlos Nicolás Pérez Enrique on July 20, 2011, and upheld on February 16, 2012, for allegedly libeling President Rafael Correa;
  • Welcoming the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ order that Ecuador desists from executing the sentences, pending a hearing between both parties;
  • Calling on Ecuador to act in accordance with the IACHR’s decision;
  • Urging the President and government to decriminalize defamation and all other press offenses in line with Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Send Your Letter To

President
Presidente Rafael Correa
Palacio de Carondelet, García Moreno No. 10-43, entre Chile y Espejo, Quito, Ecuador
Fax: +593 2 258 0714
Messages may also be sent through the Presidency’s official web site
Salutation: Dear Mr President/ Sr. Presidente 

Justice and Human Rights Minister
Johana Pesántez Benítez
Ministra de Justicia y Derechos Humanos
Av. Amazonas No. 34-451 y Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador
Fax: +593 2 292 3804/ +593 2 246 4914
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Minister/Sr. Ministro

Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Ecuador in your country if possible. 

Please check with PEN if sending appeals after March 28, 2012: ftw [at] pen.org