Oakland, CA – Indigenous peoples and civil society from across Ecuador continue to mobilize in Quito since the launch of the National Strike on June 13, 2022. A “state of emergency” remains in place across six provinces and the city of Quito, and government repression continues to escalate. The president has encouraged counter-protests and marches and fanned flames of vigilante violence against those defending rights and protesting economic and social inequities.
In an address to the nation on June 24, 2022, President Lasso dismissed demands of the movement, told Indigenous people to go back to their communities, and emphatically declared the police and military will use any force necessary to quell protests. This has pushed Ecuador to a dangerous and violent tipping point.
Leila Salazar-López, Amazon Watch Executive Director said, “Ecuador is in a state of emergency due to socio-economic and racial inequities and violent repression from the state in response to National Strike. Instead of finding a peaceful resolution and dialogue without repression, President Lasso has threatened more violence. It is urgent that the international community and specifically the U.N. and other international human rights bodies denounce this and support a de-escalation to prevent further violence and loss of life. Amazon Watch condemns violence of any kind and demands that those who are protesting peacefully are allowed to continue to do so.”
In response to the alarming declaration by Lasso which could pave the way for an escalation of violence and the likelihood of an increase in the deaths of civilians, Amazon Watch calls the international community and international organizations, especially the organization of American States and United Nations, to strongly condemn human rights violations happening in Ecuador and adopt all the necessary measures to prevent further violations.
Ecuadorian citizens are guaranteed the internationally protected human right to protest free of fear of violence and repression. Ecuador is a signatory of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Ecuador has a history of inappropriate uses of states of emergency. In 1998, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights told Ecuador that using the state of emergency to control popular discontent over economic measures was contrary to its human rights obligations. International bodies must investigate and report on all episodes of violence and call on the Ecuadorian government to protect and defend the rights of those citizens who are protesting peacefully.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also issued a statement on June 24:
“… the IACHR and its SRFOE urge the [Ecuadorian] government to adopt measures to prevent any abuse by its agents, in accordance with its human rights commitments. Likewise, they call for an end to violence and for the channeling of social tensions through democratic means; in particular, by establishing an inclusive, intercultural and effective dialogue that addresses the causes of social mobilization.”
“Amazon Watch condemns the violence and calls for peace, respect, justice, and accountability. We also unite with the international human rights community which is amplifying Indigenous and civil society calls for the Ecuadorian government to address the root causes of the mobilizations. The economic inequities brought on by decades of dependency on fossil fuel and other extraction on Indigenous lands must end! Too many lives, lands, and cultures have been lost in the struggle for Indigenous rights, both at the hands of extractive industries and the hands of the police. We call on President Lasso to cease the repression and end police and military violence against Indigenous peoples and all who are defending their rights,” shared Sofía Jarrín Hidalgo, Amazon Watch Ecuador Advocacy Advisor.
From June 13-23, 2022, the Alliance for Human Rights in Ecuador has reported 94 arrests (many of them without formal charges), 92 injuries, and 5 disappearances. Ecuadorians operating as vigilantes have also begun kidnapping protesters and turning them in to the police. Three people have died, and according to video evidence and confirmed by Amnesty International, Byron Guatatuca was murdered by police.
