Title: The Julian Assange Show: Rafael Correa (E6) Source:
[None] URL Source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvUwC5JTAJY Published:Jun 22, 2012 Author:Julian Assange Post Date:2012-06-22 01:42:54 by A K A Stone Keywords:None Views:812 Comments:5
I saw a comment that there is no freedom of speech in Ecuador. Is this true?
Correa is no constitutional saint. He considers any public comments that he is a dictator to be slander/libel, and punishable by both fines and imprisonment. I'm not sure if jail can be part of a civil suit here, or if that's a criminal/civil combo suit, but he did go after a journalist for making the accusation, and that journalist has fled to the US where he'll likely remain at least until Correa leaves the presidency.
The constitution here was recently -- within the last few years -- changed and it grants the president power to remove and appoint judges. He can also fire members of congress, so there is no real balance of power. Still, 3 presidents in the last 15 years have been removed from office due to public pressure, so the people still have a lot of potential clout.
