“All these people have an essential role in the preservation and protection of nature and indigenous lands and should not have been criminalized,” the statement said.
The International Federation for Human Rights and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders highlighted the amnesties granted by the National Assembly, on March 10, to 268 human rights and nature defenders.
The social struggle organizations highlighted this decision and recognized these amnesties as “an act of the Ecuadorian State aimed at implementing an effective policy of recognition and protection of human rights defenders in the country and ending their criminalization.”
In the same way, they stressed that the proceedings against the 268 people were initiated for their participation in demonstrations and social mobilizations, in defense of the rights of nature, and for protesting against projects that affect their lands and territories and nature.
“Of the 268 amnestied people, 60 were prosecuted for exercising the right to resistance and social protest in the framework of the October 2019 protests, which began with the indigenous uprising against the government’s economic policy; 153 are defenders of community territories; 12 had been criminalized for issues related to the administration of indigenous justice; and the other 43 are defenders of nature”.
The Observatory also stressed that all these people have an essential role in the preservation and protection of nature and indigenous lands and should not have been criminalized for their action in defense of rights.
“The Observatory celebrates the decision of the National Assembly of Ecuador as a manifestation of the popular will represented in the majority of this Body, to recognize the undue criminalization of human rights defenders, and therefore urges the authorities to put an end to to the abusive and persistent use of criminal law, harassment, stigmatization and prosecution against defenders of human rights and nature.”
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