Ecuador police mutiny censorship

Last week's mutiny by police in Ecuador resulted in injuries to more than 20 reporters and the imposition of TV and radio censorship. In the course of a 12-hour crisis hundreds of officers took over police barracks across the country in protest at cuts to their benefits. After declaring a state of emergency, the country's president, Rafael Correa , ordered TV and radio stations to interrupt their programming to carry state news broadcasts. It meant that citizens were unable to receive balanced information from an independent media at a critical time, said Freddy Barros , editor-in-chief with the TV station Ecuavisa . At least 22 reporters and photojournalists were attacked, threatened, or harassed as they covered the police rebellion, according to the Quito-based group press freedom group Fundamedios. Sources: CPJ / RSF