Recent unrest in Ecuador highlights the need for press freedom, accurate reporting – UN expert

Recent unrest in Ecuador highlights the need for press freedom, accurate reporting – UN expert

2010-10-08 08:37:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) – A United Nations Special Rapporteur on Thursday said that the Ecuadorian government needs to ensure press freedom and right of expression in the wake of violent unrest that hit the nation last week.

"In moments of political turmoil, the possibility to receive clear and accurate information is essential," said the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue.

LaRue refers to the police protests against a law that cut benefits from them. However the protests escalated after President Rafael Correa was injured and transported to a hospital. Protesters did not allow him to leave the hospital and a gun battle took place in order to rescue the Ecuadorian leader.

"In the incident a great part of the police force was mobilized by interested sectors, based on alleged misinformation regarding the new proposed regulations regarding labor conditions," Larue noted as recent reports indicate that the protests were apparently an excuse for a coup d'état.

LaRue called on the Ecuadorian media to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in these significant events. He reiterated the importance of informing the public in an objective way.

"These acts reveal the fragility of some Latin American democracies, as this event took place a little more than a year since the military coup d'état which overthrew the Government in Honduras," LaRue concluded.

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