Ecuadoran cartoonist sanctioned over sketch

QUITO, ECUADOR: A newspaper cartoonist was sanctioned by a new Ecuadoran media watchdog after publishing an image deemed harmful to President Rafael Correa, the artist said.

(Image sourced from the El Universal newspaper website.)

Xavier Bonilla, who produces cartoons for the El Universal newspaper, said he had been a victim an "abuse of power" following the move by the regulatory body.

The official press watchdog, decried by the opposition as a government censor, gave the cartoonist 72 hours to "correct" his work, according to the ruling.

The order also raised the possibility of a fine equivalent to 2% of the newspaper's sales during the last quarter.

"This is a battle between David and Goliath," Bonilla said.

Ecuador's socialist leader Correa has regularly railed against the media and had signaled his intention to file a complaint with regulators early this year.

Bonilla attracted his ire with a cartoon published last year that depicted a heavy-handed police raid on Clever Jimenez, an opposition politician the president has accused of espionage.

Source: AFP, via I-Net Bridge