Ecuador's highest court today upheld a ruling sentencing three newspaper directors to jail and setting damages at $40 million (€30 million) for libelling leftist President Rafael Correa.
"Thank God that the truth has prevailed and we've been allowed to overcome this tough challenge successfully," Mr Correa told reporters after accusing El Universo of orchestrating a campaign to destroy his reputation.
The original ruling last year sentenced columnist Emilio Palacio and three owners at El Universo to three years in prison and set payment of $40 million in damages to Mr Correa over a column criticising Mr Correa's handling of a police revolt in 2010.
Palacio's February 2011 opinion column titled "No To Lies" referred to Mr Correa as "the Dictator" and alleged he ordered troops to open fire "without warning on a hospital full of civilians and innocent people."
Today's ruling by the Supreme Court, which was issued shortly after midnight, applied only to the sentence against the
newspaper directors. It was the first high-profile sentence issued by the newly appointed court, which was selected amid complaints from opposition lawmakers that some of the chosen judges had ties with Mr Correa's party.
El Universo's lawyers have argued that the original sentence was out of proportion and accused Mr Correa of pressing judges to get a favourable ruling.
"It's obvious that the president has a very clear goal, to finish with independent media, not only in Ecuador, but he also wants this to reverberate all over America," Joffre Campana, a lawyer for El Universo, told reporters.
Mr Correa (48) attended the hearing, which lasted for over 14 hours, while outside the courthouse his supporters clashed with journalists and citizens protesting that the socialist leader is curbing media freedom.
Correa sympathisers ripped up copies of El Universo, while critics held banners that read "Say no to dictatorship."
Mr Correa has been sparring with local media ever since he took office in January 2007 promising a "citizens' revolution" in the South American Opec member.
He often accuses privately owned television networks and newspapers of spreading lies to undermine his government and has called them "the real opposition," while news organisations say he is trying to censor critics.
Reuters