El Universo lawyers to seek complete annulment of “dangerous” verdict

Lawyers acting for Ecuadorean newspaper El Universo are looking to annul a court ruling that saw the paper’s owners and a journalist sentenced to three years in prison and incurring a US$40 million fine, arguing that the presidential pardon on 27 February will not prevent the sentence from setting a dangerous precedent in what onlookers across the world are viewing as part of a broader policy to control Ecuador’s independent press.