A welcome pardon, but press still threatened in Ecuador

摘要

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa made a public statement on 27th February announcing the pardoning of Carlos, Cesar and Nicolas Perez, executives at El Universo newspaper, along with Emilio Palacio, a former opinion editor at the publication. In a separate case. President Correa also announced his decision to drop charges against investigative journalists Juan Carlos Calderon and Christian Zurita.The president's decisions come as some relief after months of growing pressure that had seen Ecuador increasingly isolated in the international community. However, the pardons do not eliminate the sentence from Ecuadorean law, a fact that continues to set an ominous precedent not only for the country but in the region as a whole.