Ecuadoran journalist Emilio Palacio has told local reporters that he had received threats against himself and his family following a March 1 article criticising President Rafael Correa's weekly radio address.
According to reports in the Ecuadoran press, Palacio, editor of the Guayaquil-based daily El Universo, said he has received multiple death threats via e-mail since late 2008. The journalist, who is a harsh critic of the Correa administration, said he had not made the threats public because he considered them a part of his job.
However, on March 13 Palacio said he received an email message threatening him, his wife and his 4-year-old son. According to an excerpt from the message published in the national newsmagazine Vistazo, the assailant made reference to Palacio's recent criticism of Correa's weekly radio address. Palacio told local reporters that he sent Correa a letter the same day telling him about the threats.
On March 19, Ecuadoran Minister of Interior Gustavo Jaklh said the government would provide Palacio and his family with protection, El Universo reported.
In May 2007, Correa demanded that Palacio leave the taping of his radio show after the journalist suggested that the president had shown intolerance toward criticism in the media.
