Truth Commission identifies serious human rights violations in Ecuador

Extrajudicial executions and sexual violence occurred in the October 2019 protests according to a report.

The Commission for Truth and Justice, which made up the Office of the Ombudsman of Ecuador, lists its conclusions regarding the protests of October 2019 and in the report being prepared, the State would be held responsible for “seriously violating” human rights.

Comisión de la Verdad identifica ejecuciones extrajudiciales y violencia sexual en protestas de octubre 2019, el Estado "violentó gravemente los derechos a la vida, la integridad física y psicológica, la libertad personal, el derecho a la libre expresión". https://t.co/2wS5QANZdj

— OrlandoPérezTeleSUR #FreeAssange (@OrlandoPerezEC) November 19, 2020

In a draft that the Ecuadorian press had access to, the conclusions and analysis regarding these demonstrations that occurred last year, led by the movement of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) against the elimination of fuels that President Lenín Moreno ordered.

According to the observations made, the Ecuadorian State “seriously violated the rights to life, physical and psychological integrity, personal freedom, the right to free expression, among other rights.”

In addition, they affirm that the Moreno government had a speech in which it positioned “a hegemonic interpretation of reality and justified the repression to maintain the political stability of the regime and democracy.”

The report argues that “what happened in October 2019 cannot be viewed as isolated abuses or excesses by the security forces since human rights to life and personal integrity have been violated.”

The Commission’s document states that the agents of the public force “acted by reiterating violent behavior between October 3 and 16 and caused serious and, in some cases, irreversible damage to the civilian population.”

The Commission, in the process of preparing its report, received 519 testimonies, of which 249 revealed human rights violations. Of these, 188 are from members of the National Police and 34 from the Armed Forces. It is mentioned that 26 public officials, including those from the Attorney General’s Office, “did not act within the framework of their powers.”

It has not yet been reported on what date the final report of this Commission will be released, but it is stressed that the objective is to establish a “standard for the non-repetition of these events.”