Ecuador: HRW urges President Correa not to use defamation laws to target critics

HRW.ORG wrote – Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa should end the use of criminal defamation laws to target his critics, Human Rights Watch said today. The prosecution and convictions of the opposition legislator José Cléver Jiménez Cabrera and two union members for slandering the president violates their right to freedom of expression under international human rights law, Human Rights Watch said. “President Correa has long made it clear that he’s willing to go after anyone who criticizes him, from civil society leaders to media critics,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “But with his most recent targeting of an opposition legislator, his abuse of power to suppress those he sees as his enemies has reached new and alarming heights.” Read Article

If I had to recommend one book to read before moving to Ecuador – this is it – Brandon Keene, Dragoman