The Economist writes about the Ecuadorian judge’s ruling that sentences the owners and former editor of the country’s largest newspaper to three years in prison and $40 million in fines for libel against President Rafael Correa:
The defendants say they will appeal, and do not have to pay up or go to jail until those efforts are exhausted. If the ruling is allowed to stand, however, it is sure to put Mr Correa’s critics on notice that expressing their objections too forcefully could put them out of business or send them to jail. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said the ruling was “contrary to regional freedom of expression standards” and would produce “self-censorship and a notable chilling effect that impacts not only the individuals convicted but Ecuadorean society as a whole.”
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