President Correa: “Assange is the world emblem of Free Speech”

In a huge rally in Santa Elena, gathering among the public Assange supporters demanding asylum for the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa addressed the nation on vital issues, among them on Freedom of Speech

Pro-asylum demonstrators during the meeting of President Correa with the people assembled in the 

Stadium 'Alberto Spencer', in Santa Elena, to listen in vivo his weekly message to the Nation

“Never before have humans rights in Ecuador being more respected as they 
have been under the Revolucion Ciudadana. That is why Assange has chosen
 Ecuador as a country for asylum: The World’s emblem of Freedom of Speech 
asks asylum in Ecuador, precisely Ecuador, not more not less”  Rafel Correa

The Presidential message of genuine democratic Ecuador echoes proudly in the columns of Professors blogg. Word by word, the statements of Rafael Correa made on his last appearances to the Ecuadorian public, were also a strong rebuttal to the anti-Assange campaign maintained by the mainstream media at both sides of the Atlantic –at the service of their corporative alliance with global political/military power. They are also a strong denounce, at a highest level of governing, of the absolute disregard for truth in notorious MSM articles on the issue of the Sweden’s accusations and the political context behind, and the ad-hominem smear against Assange as a person.

By Marcello Ferrada de Noli 

In his recent address from Santa Elena to the citizens of Ecuador (Enlace Ciudadano 281), President Rafael Correa made assertive declarations about the freedom of speech and press liberties in Ecuador. His statements were firmly clear, and in the context unambiguously referred to the pretexted Ecuadorian “press liberties” issue agitated by USA governmental agencies and the lackey press in Europe, such as the Swedish mainstream media. Correa statements on that point can be summarized as follow:

Social protest (any forms of public criticism, including demonstrations or full exercise of freedom of speech) is permitted and welcome in Ecuador. What should not be permitted are the singular crimes that eventually it has been committed in using those civil liberties.  He referred, for instance, to vandalism exercised against private property from the part of some street demonstrators.

But he was referring also about vandalism on the integrity of persons. As we have reported previously in Professors blog, the intermezzos of the Correa government with certain mainstream media oligarchs in Ecuador have dealt not about issues of "press liberties" or "journalism rights" (as informed for instance in Sweden), but concretely on defamation-crimes which fall under the country’s Penal legislation –as in all the countries with democratic rule including the USA and Sweden.

- Public criticism or protest in Ecuador is not only permitted; is legal, welcomed, and it is protected, said Correa. And added:

“Never before have humans rights in Ecuador being more respected as they have been under the Revolucion Ciudadana. That is why Assange has chosen Ecuador as a country for asylum: The World’s emblem of Freedom of Speech asks asylum in Ecuador, precisely Ecuador, not more not less”

Nunca los derechos humanos se han respetado tanto en Ecuador como lo han sido en la Revolución Ciudadana: el derecho a la educación, el derecho a salud, el derecho al trabajo digno, el derecho a expresarse libremente, la libre expresión para todas y para todos. Por eso Assange escogió Ecuador como país de asilo. EL emblema mundial de la libertad de expresión pide asilo nada más y nade menos que en Ecuador.”

Later on the 28^th of July, in his Enlace Ciudadano 282 from the city of Ibarra, the President expressed,

- We are not opponents of Freedom of Expression; we are opponents of the profitmaking that big oligarchs have done by manipulating Freedom of Expression as if it were merchandise.

"No estamos atentando en contra de la libertad de expresión. Estamos atentando en contra del bolsillo de los empresarios que han hecho de la libertad de expresión una mercancía."

Folkloric presentation during the meeting of President Correa with the people assembled in the Stadium Alberto Spencer, in Santa Elena, to listen in vivo his weekly message to the Nation. Photo: Miguel Angel Romero /Presidency of Ecuador

Further, referring to libellous expressions recently published in the version on-line of El Comercio, Correa declared,  “I do not call that Freedom of Expression, I call that absence of ethics . . .and an expression of hatred from the part of certain merchants and (their) sick journalists. In the name of Freedom of Expression I would never publish injurious, slanderous expressions that affects the dignity of the individuals. 

The Presidential message of genuine democratic Ecuador echoes proudly in the columns of Professors blogg.  Word by word, the statements of Rafael Correa made on his last appearances to the Ecuadorian public, were also a strong rebuttal to the anti-Assange campaignmaintained by the mainstream media at both sides of the Atlantic –at the service of their corporative alliance with global political/military power. They are also a strong denounce, at a highest level of governing, of the absolute disregard for truth in notorious MSM articles on the issue of the Sweden’s accusations and the political context behind, and the ad-hominem smear against Assange as a person.