In 2010, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa filed a criminal libel complaint against El Universo's directors and editor, Emilio Palacio.

The complaint cited a column in which Palacio stated that Correa had permitted soldiers to fire on a hospital to suppress a violent police protest.

The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court on 17 February 2012,[2] but was suspended by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights four days later pending further review.

[1] An editorial in The New York Times described the verdict as "a staggering, shameful blow to the country's democracy",[3] while Reporters Without Borders called it "draconian" and a "grave legal precedent".

The citation read, "Even in the face of Correa's bullying and the threat of incarceration, El Universo and many other Ecuadoran journalists have courageously defended their right and obligation to speak out for a democratic society.