Palacio’s Request to the U.S.

Emilio Palacio in Miami

During the four-hour hearing of Emilio Palacio in the Department of State, in Miami, Florida. The former opinion editor newspaper El Universo explained the reasons for his request of political asylum in the United States.

Palacio and the Perez brothers, directors of El Universo newspaper, were sentenced to three years in prison and to pay $40 million to the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa. The demand was made for the article ‘No to the lies’ published in February of 2011, Correa sued the newspaper directors and Palacio on charges of libel accusations.

Due to the relations that Correa has with South American countries like Peru, Colombia and Argentina. The 58-year-old journalist saw the United States as his best option. However, the Ecuadorian consul in Miami, Eduardo Rivadeneira stated, “Palacio is not a victim of political persecution as he claims… he is welcome to come back to his country and work as a journalist if he wishes so.”

Palacio answered to those statements by saying that those are the same lies; if he returns to Ecuador he will go straight to jail. (AV)