By Ingrid Bachmann
The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it is important to change parts of the proposed communications law in Ecuador in order to protect freedom of expression.
In a letter to the president of the National Assembly, HRW explained that the initiative contains ambiguous language, such as a reference to "truthful information," that could allow for prior censorship, besides leading to government interference with the application of sanctions for media that don't comply with their own ethics codes.
As the news agency DPA explained, the U.S.-based organization also expressed concern for some omissions in the bill, which does not decriminalize defamation of public officials or regulate the distribution of official advertising.
The proposed communications law is considered key for the government of Rafael Correa, but disagreements in parliament on the scope and provisions of the bill have delayed its enactment.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
