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CONCERNED ECUADORIAN-AMERICAN CITIZENS
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Senator Patrick Leahy 437 Russell Senate Bldg United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Via Fax: 202-224-3479 Via Email: senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov May 14, 2012 Dear Senator Leahy, As Ecuadorian Americans we are addressing you in response to your recent delivery on the floor of the U.S. Senate concerning Ecuador. Those of us who are informed about the changes that are taking place under the administration of president Rafael Correa realize that it is becoming increasingly difficult for his opponents to deny the improvements in health, education, justice, security, infrastructure, public services, and the economy. These improvements were, in part, achieved by removing the influence that a monopoly of a select few business elites, media groups, and corrupt political overlords had over the government’s decisions and direction. Now these groups are attempting to destabilize the Ecuadorian government by engaging in an international campaign of misinformation, and recruiting well intentioned Democratic senators and U.S. Government officials to voice their fallacious tales. We agree that a free and independent press is fundamental to democracy. Indeed, a fair democracy should protect the rule of law and ensure that no person or group is above the law. In Ecuador, however, certain groups believed that their economic status and media power granted them privileges above the law. The libel case of president Correa against the editorial page editor of El Universo and its owners was one in over 12,000 libel cases in Ecuador (including several against the president himself). The inability of El Universo to support the grave accusations against president Correa of crimes against humanity led to a fair and just sentence. The decision was ratified in three instances, despite the relentless media lynching and documented public intimidations that El Universo staged against the judges and witnesses. In Ecuador, freedom of expression is guaranteed under the constitution, as you point out, and it is further encouraged by president Correa every week. Senator Leahy, you may have heard from certain major U.S. media outlets nonsense like Obama’s war on religion, the Muslim, Kenyan-born illegitimate president, health care death panels, socialist-Nazi-abortionist-un-American government, welfare-loving democrats, etc. We are sure you would agree that this does not constitute news, but rather politically motivated propaganda disguised as news in order to misinform and confuse the audience. However, unlike the situation in Ecuador, these media outlets do not affirm [yet] that president Obama committed a crime, or make other similar false accusations. In Ecuador, the six families that control the entire local private media do engage in that sort of propaganda, in addition to making direct and false accusations. They present facts selectively and out of context in order to manipulate the public opinion. That is not freedom of expression. It is a violation of public trust and the right of the people to receive true, fair and contextualized information. Currently, and for the past several years, not a single journalist, reporter or writer has been imprisoned in Ecuador. Not a single media outlet has been closed. Not a single piece has been censored by the government. Contrary to your assertion, Ecuadorians are not proud of the country’s former democratic system and governments. Merely voting and rotating parties does not make a democracy. Ecuador had a perverse system that produced social exclusion to the majority, benefits to a small economic
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