Using courts to harass Ecuador’s dissidents – Opinion

Ecuadorian former minister and activist Monica Chuji is about to face trial for defamation. The president’s secretary of administration, Vinicio Alvarado, accuses her of defamatory libel for describing him as nouveau riche in a February interview. While this lawsuit against a former cabinet member reveals the extent of the persecution against those opposing the government of Rafel Correa, it also calls attention to the lingering permissibility of harassing indigenous peoples in the region. Alvarado, the accuser, asks for three years of jail as well as US$400,000 for “moral damages”. Chuji’s lawyer, a recognised constitutional law expert, working with the support of the human rights organisation INREDH, contends the accusation is political and holds no legal ground. Read Article