Human Rights Watch accuses Ecuador of using excessive force against demonstrators news

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch accused the Ecuadorian police and security forces of imposing restrictions on freedom of assembly and using excessive force in some cases while dealing with anti-government protests that have erupted since mid-September.

Ecuador has been witnessing protests since the 18th of last month, led by the country’s largest indigenous organization, in rejection of President Daniel Noboa’s decision to cancel fuel subsidies.

Rights Watch considered that although some protesters resorted to violence, most of the demonstrations were peaceful, and the government responded by deploying the army, which used excessive force against the demonstrators on several occasions.

The Ecuadorian government also accused the protesters of “terrorism” and froze bank accounts belonging to environmental and indigenous organizations and figures.

Director of the Americas Department at Human Rights Watch, Juanita Guibertos, said that the Ecuadorian government is required to respect the rights of protesters and address the reasons that push citizens to take to the streets on a regular basis.

Guibertos called on the government to investigate those who commit acts of violence, but that does not justify stigmatizing the rest of the demonstrators or using excessive force against them, and stressed that the Ecuadorian government must hold those responsible for the violations accountable and listen to the legitimate demands raised by the protesters in the streets.

Human Rights Watch announced that it had verified 15 video clips showing soldiers or police forcefully dispersing peaceful demonstrations and using tear gas and non-lethal weapons in a random and unnecessary manner.

The organization also reviewed official documents relating to the closure of a media outlet and the opening of investigations against environmental defenders and indigenous people, and requested comments from the Ministries of Interior and Defense on allegations of violations.

Ecuadorian President Noboa canceled decades-old fuel subsidies on September 12, raising fuel prices by more than 50%. He justified the decision by saying that the subsidies cost the state $1.1 billion annually, which he considered affecting the sustainability of public finances. Organizations and workers responded by declaring immediate protests.

On September 16, the president declared a state of emergency in 7 out of 24 governorates, due to what he called “serious internal disturbances” caused by protesters who blocked roads. The decree suspended the right to peaceful assembly and allowed the army to be deployed in the streets.

Although the Constitutional Court later reduced the scope of the decree to include only two provinces, President Noboa issued a new decree on October 4 that included 10 additional provinces.

Faced with this situation, the Union of Indigenous Nationalities in Ecuador and other movements called on September 18 for a national strike to protest the cancellation of fuel subsidies, poor health and education services, and the continuation of oil exploration in indigenous lands, which led to the spread of protests throughout the country and turned into a widespread wave of anger against the government.