Human Rights Organizations demand that the Ecuadorian State guarantee the right to protest

In a statement they relate the recommendations made to the Government for the events recorded a year ago.

The Alliance of Human Rights Organizations, which includes the Regional Human Rights Advisory Foundation (Inredh), urged the Ecuadorian State to comprehensively guarantee the right to protest and to comply with the protection parameters for protesters and journalists. .

Before the day of mobilizations scheduled for this afternoon against the economic measures and the management of the crisis, the organization for the defense of human rights warned about the anticipated actions by fascist groups that have expressed their intention to prevent the natural development of the protest social, through attacks and attacks against the integrity of the protesters.

In a statement from the Alliance and published by Inredh on its Twitter account, it is indicated that the Government is fully aware of these threats spread through social networks.

The entity even stated that the Minister of Government, María Paula Romo, has already warned that the Police will respond if there are violent acts in the demonstrations.

At this point, the entity said that the Government should be in charge of ensuring that the mobilization days are carried out with all the guarantees. Although she explained that the Executive’s speech in relation to the events that occurred in October of last year, has remained in line with the fact that the public force acted to defend the “rule of law.”

The balance of events in October 2019 was as follows: 1,330 people arbitrarily detained, at least 1,507 people injured, and 9 people killed, in a context of excessive and disproportionate use of force.

The Alliance also recalled that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) already observed the Ecuadorian State for excessive use of force, on April 14, 2020, and recommended guaranteeing the full enjoyment of the rights to protest, to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and political participation of the population.

A similar statement was made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur pointed out that people can demonstrate without fear of being subjected to violence by their opponents.

Against this background, the State was urged to refrain from issuing advanced criteria on the demonstrations since they generate social unrest; and that, on the contrary, all the means are provided to guarantee the security and the full development of these days.

Finally, the Alliance of Human Rights Organizations emphasized the importance of the peoples exercising their legitimate right to disagree.