Ecuador / Americas

  
Demonstrators clash with riot police in Quito, as thousands march against Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno's decision to slash fuel subsidies, on October 9, 2019. Both the authorities and protesters have targeted the press amid the protests. (AFP/Rodrigo Buendia)

Authorities and protesters target the press amid protests in Ecuador

Miami, October 9, 2019—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on both the authorities and demonstrators in Ecuador to stop harassing and attacking journalists covering ongoing protests.

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Police officers are seen in Quito, Ecuador, on October 3, 2019. Police officers recently attacked a group of journalists covering a protest in Quito. (Reuters/Daniel Tapia)

Police attack journalists covering protests in Ecuador

Miami, October 4, 2019 — Ecuadoran authorities should ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, and should hold police officers who assault journalists to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Metropolitan Police officers carry WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his arrest, following the Ecuadoran government's termination of asylum, in London on April 11, 2019. (Adrian Cotterill/Daily Dooh via Reuters)

Why the prosecution of Julian Assange is troubling for press freedom

After a seven-year standoff at the Ecuadoran embassy in London, British police yesterday arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange–a development press freedom advocates had long feared.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a police van after he was arrested in London on April 11, 2019. (Reuters/Henry Nicholls)

CPJ troubled by prosecution of Julian Assange

New York, April 11, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today said it was deeply concerned by the U.S. prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Authorities in the United Kingdom arrested Assange this morning at the Ecuadoran Embassy as part of an extradition agreement with the U.S., according to a statement by the U.S. Department of…

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, U.K., on May 19, 2017. (Reuters/Peter Nicholls)

US has filed secret charges against Julian Assange, reports say

New York, November 16, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists is closely monitoring news reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has secretly filed charges against the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

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Reuters/Henry Romero

The U-turn: Moreno steers Ecuador away from Correa’s media repression

The administration of President Lenín Moreno has dramatically diverged from that of his predecessor, Rafael Correa, who was severely critical of the Ecuadoran press and passed one of the most restrictive media laws in the region. Nonetheless, journalists say they will be wary until Moreno fulfills his promises to scale back the Communications Law and…

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Reuters/Henry Romero

The U-turn:

CPJ’s work in Ecuador Over the last 10 years, CPJ has viewed the situation in Ecuador as a priority in Latin America and documented the deteriorating press freedom environment under former President Rafael Correa through special reports, articles, and reporting trips to the country. In a 2011 report, “Confrontation, Repression in Correa’s Ecuador,” CPJ analyzed…

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Reuters/Henry Romero

The U-turn:

Recommendations The Committee to Protect Journalists offers the following recommendations:

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Reuters/Henry Romero

The U-turn:

Correa’s critics disadvantaged online, especially on Twitter Long before other world leaders took to Twitter, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa was using social media and other digital tools to air grievances and abuse his adversaries. After joining Twitter in July 2011 (with a tweet about a boring meeting), Correa quickly joined forces with another social media-savvy…

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Colombian photographers leave the cameras on the floor in front of the Ecuadorean embassy in Bogota, Colombia, on April 16, 2018, to protest against the murder of journalist Javier Ortega, photographer Paul Rivas and their driver Efrain Segarra, (Reuters/Jaime Saldarriaga)

CPJ calls for justice for Ecuadoran reporting team killed in Colombia

Bogotá, Colombia, April 17, 2018–Authorities in Ecuador and Colombia must conduct a transparent investigation into the kidnapping and killing of an Ecuadoran reporting team in Colombia and ensure all those responsible face justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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