After pardoning the journalists in a $40 million libel lawsuit against the newspaper El Universo, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa once again attacked the press, saying that in Latin America there exists a "media dictatorship" and that now is the time for "free citizens to rebel against this abuse," reported the news agency EFE.
Correa made the statements during a visit to Peru, adding that the media are private, for-profit companies, yet that provide a public good, according to the Argentine daily La Nación.
During a press conference, Correa spoke about the libel case against the newspaper El Universo and said that he couldn't allow for the media to lie and commit libel, and if the problem continues, he will not hesitate to take the newspaper back to court, explained Prensa Latina, the official state agency for Cuba.
Correa also criticized the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that the organization is manipulated by the business interests controlling the press, according to the Chilean newspaper El Ciudadano.
