Washington, DC – A delegation from Ecuador, comprised of human rights organizations, community leaders, Amazon Watch, CEDHU, CDH Guayaquil, Fundación Regional de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos INREDH, FOIN, and communities affected by militarization, with support from Amnesty International USA, presented the results of a mission aimed at providing firsthand information on the serious setbacks in human rights and the impacts of illegal economies on Indigenous and peasant communities.
These setbacks have occurred in the context of the security measures implemented by the Ecuadorian government, the expansion of organized crime, and the increasing threats against human rights and land defenders. Additionally, concerns were raised about the shrinking civic space for civil society and journalists, as well as human rights violations within Ecuadorian prisons.
Since January 9, 2024, following a surge in violence that shocked Ecuadorian society, President Noboa’s government declared a state of emergency due to severe internal unrest, accompanied by the declaration of a “Non-International Armed Conflict” (NIAC), as a measure to address insecurity, the prison crisis, and organized crime. However, several months after the implementation of these measures, concerns have emerged about their effectiveness.
Despite efforts, no structural actions have been taken to dismantle the long-term networks of organized crime or reduce violence. Policies have focused on occupying penitentiaries, coastal areas, and border zones, without addressing the proliferation of illegal economies. Furthermore, in the context of the NIAC, reports of human rights abuses have increased, due to the excessive use of public force and the lack of guarantees for civilians.
The delegation held meetings with U.S. government officials, including members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the State Department, specifically from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. They also met with representatives of the National Security Council of the U.S. Presidency. Although Ecuador has received over $200 million in foreign aid from the U.S. for security projects, serious concerns remain about the protection of fundamental rights amidst rising violence and militarization.
The delegation also met with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DDOT), and several mandates of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to highlight the severity of human rights abuses in Ecuador. Discussions included the situation of detainees, freedom of expression, the criminalization of activists defending their land and lives, and the rights of Indigenous and peasant communities.
Finally, the delegation exchanged perspectives and information with U.S. civil society, seeking joint strategies to strengthen monitoring and international reporting on the grave situation facing the Ecuadorian population.
Who comprises the international delegation?
- Nely Shiguango: Testimony on organized crime and the expansion of illegal economies.
- Daniel Sisa: President of the Jerusalem Potable Water Board, peasant leader, and defender of human and environmental rights. Testimony on water source impacts, threats, and the criminalization of defenders.
- Daniel Noroña, Director of Advocacy for the Americas, Amnesty International USA: The importance of cooperation between the U.S. and Ecuador and the expected outcomes.
- Sofía Jarrín, Advocacy Advisor for the Western Amazon, Amazon Watch: The impact of illegal economies and organized crime on the rights of Indigenous peoples and environmental degradation in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
- Vivian Santander, Legal Advisory Coordinator, INREDH (Ecuador): How the militarization of public security has affected the protection of basic freedoms and rights in Ecuador.
- Billy Navarrete, Executive Director, Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH) (Ecuador): The human rights situation in Ecuadorian prisons, especially following the military intervention in detention centers.
- Patricia Carrión, Coordinator and lawyer at the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU) (Ecuador): The situation of human rights defenders in extractive contexts, including those criminalized by the state during the state of emergency.
Additional information
Security crisis and militarization
Situation of human rights defenders
- Violation of Rights and Fraud in Consultation Processes: The Case of the El Domo Mining Project in Las Naves, Bolívar.
- Briefing on human rights defenders in Ecuador
Militarization and criminalization
- Advocacy note about militarization in Ecuador
- Report on the declaration of a Non-International Armed Conflict
- Nota de Incidencia sobre situación en cárceles
