On May 5, 2009, Milton Nelson Chacaguasay Flores, director
and editor of the weekly publication La Verdad in the city of Machala, was released on
parole after serving six months in prison on libel charges. Chacaguasay told CPJ that
on June 8, 2009, he was again charged
with slander and sentenced to four months in prison. He said he believed the
second prison sentence was an attempt to silence his reporting on local
government corruption.
A criminal court in the southwestern province of El Oro
gave Chacaguasay a 10-month prison sentence in November 2008 on libel charges
brought by local judge Silvio Castillo, the local press reported. The
journalist told CPJ that he was freed on good behavior in May 2009. Chacaguasay
said he received two anonymous threatening calls in the month following his. The callers threatened to kill him if he
continued to denounce corruption in the judicial system.
On June 9, 2009, Judge Paul Gallardo of the Criminal Court
of El Oro sentenced Chacaguasay to four months in prison for slandering former
Finance Minister Francisco Quevedo Madrid.
The charges stem from a November 2007 story in La Verdad linking Quevedo
to José Cabrera, who was accused of operating a nationwide Ponzi scheme.
According to the journalist, the story was based on police reports stating that
authorities had found a check for US$5,000 made out to
Quevedo in Cabrera's residence. Chacaguasay said other Ecuadoran outlets also
reported the story. Chacaguasay and his attorneys were not notified of the court's determination until after the period during
which he could request an appeal, the journalist told CPJ.
During an interview from prison with CPJ, Chacaguasay said
he continued to direct La Verdad from behind bars. He said he has
received several death threats in jail linked
to his work, and fears for his safety and that of his family. The
journalist said he notified authorities about the threats.
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