Nicolás Pérez is an Ecuadorean publisher and an executive at El Universo, Ecuador’s largest newspaper. In July 2011, Pérez, two other directors of El Universo, and former columnist Emilio Palacio were sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $42 million to President Rafael Correa as a penalty for publishing an editorial critical of the Ecuadorean president. The defendants, joined by global media outlets and human rights groups, called the case an attempt by Correa to bankrupt the country’s loudest opposition voice, hijack the judicial system, and stifle free speech. Perez and his fellow defendants were granted a presidential pardon in February 2012. Pérez is currently the co-founder and business director of InkInspired, a digital publishing software for writing online fiction and innovative storytelling.