Correa's Escalating Assault on Free Press Censors Media, Ros-Lehtinen Says

Statement

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement today after an Ecuadorean court packed with supporters of Rafael Correa said that three newspaper publishers and one columnist from the El Universo newspaper who were sentenced to prison for criticizing Correa should remain in jail:

"Rafael Correa's latest assault against press freedom in Ecuador is following in the footsteps of the rest of the dictatorial countries in Latin America. The playbook by Castro, Chavez, Ortega, Correa, and Morales is to censor the press to hide the cruel realities of their tyrannical rule. Making accusations against independent journalists and news organizations is a big part of their propaganda campaigns.

"These prosecutions are indented to send a chilling message to every journalist in Ecuador: if you speak ill of Correa, you will face serious consequences. Intimidating the press is a key component of Correa's scheme to drag Ecuador towards totalitarianism.

"The attacks on freedom of press in Ecuador further illustrate why the President's proposal to send more U.S. funding to the country is misguided. Responsible nations cannot be silent as dictatorships branded by the likes of Correa, Castro, Chavez, and Ortega metastasize in the Western Hemisphere."

NOTE: The President's budget provides an increase of $2 million in U.S. assistance to Ecuador.

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