(IPYS/IFEX) – Ecuadorian journalist Wilson Cabrera returned to his daily job at Radio Canela FM and the weekly newspaper “El Observador”, in Macas City, capital of Morona Santiago province, in Ecuador’s Amazonian region, about 420 kilometres southeast of Quito. Cabrera has been in hiding for six months and eight days since the unfair trial that […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – Ecuadorian journalist Wilson Cabrera returned to his daily job at Radio Canela FM and the weekly newspaper “El Observador”, in Macas City, capital of Morona Santiago province, in Ecuador’s Amazonian region, about 420 kilometres southeast of Quito.
Cabrera has been in hiding for six months and eight days since the unfair trial that sentenced him to three months in prison for allegedly hurling “serious non slanderous insults” at public officials. The sentence was handed down on 28 November 2000. Before the prosecution, the journalist had reported on irregularities in the administration of government offices and the justice system.
According to information from the IPYS correspondent in Ecuador, his return was possible because according to Ecuadorian law, Cabrera’s sentence expired at the end of May 2001. The judge was compelled to withdraw the case at the beginning of June.
IPYS states that, as far as they know, the Amazonian reporter left his province at the end of November as soon as he was sentenced. He was in hiding between Pastaza and Pichincha provinces in order to escape capture. He was never detached from the problem, however, and even made sporadic appearances on his radio station, while in hiding. Cabrera continued to investigate accusations made by him (and those made against him), bringing forth new documents that caused the official request for dismissal of Macas Mayor Washington Vallejo, the reporter’s main accuser.
In statements to IPYS, Cabrera appeared happy to return to his province, to his place of work and to his family. “I have returned with the same desire to serve my province, this forgotten territory of the state,” he emphasised. According to his statement, he wishes to proceed with his accusations and his fight against corruption.
On the other hand, IPYS learned that the National Judiciary Council (Consejo Nacional de la Judicatura), the administrative agent of the Judicial Service (Funcion Judicial), is carrying out an investigation into the judges’ behaviour in that province, where there is good reason to question the administration of the justice system – the same justice system that sentenced Cabrera.
