By Luis De Jesus
The Vice Minister of the Government of Ecuador, Esteban Torres, rejected this Monday the Human Rights Watch report that denounces alleged human rights violations by state forces in the context of the “internal armed conflict” declared against organized crime.
Torres accused the organization of seeking to destabilize societies using the banner of human rights.
“We know who is behind each of the organizations. Behind that NGO is Mr. George Soros, who not only in Latin America, but throughout the world, promotes the disorganization of societies and the complete penetration of irregular groups shielded by human rights issues,” Torres declared in the aforementioned press conference. by Efe.
Last week, HRW sent a letter to Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, questioning the declaration of “internal armed conflict” and pointing out serious human rights violations, including an apparent extrajudicial execution, arbitrary detentions, and ill-treatment.
The organization based its conclusions on interviews with victims, analysis of photographs and videos, and review of court records.
In one of the documented cases, soldiers killed 19-year-old Carlos Javier Vega in Guayaquil and wounded his cousin Eduardo Velasco. The Armed Forces accused them of trying to “evade control by attacking military personnel” and described them as “terrorists.” However, testimonies, videos and court documents contradict the official version.
Human Rights Watch also denounced that many detained people were not brought before the Prosecutor’s Office, remaining detained outside the legal process and subjected to degrading treatment, according to Efe. In addition, he pointed out that the military, who has controlled the prisons since January, kept the detainees incommunicado, making it difficult for them to access lawyers and medical assistance.
During the press conference, the vice minister acknowledged that there are more complaints from other organizations and stated that Daniel Noboa’s government will evaluate the reports to take the necessary measures.
“The government fights corruption with all the weapons that citizens have given it and responds to Ecuadorians, not to these international organizations,” he stated.
Since the beginning of the year, the president elevated the fight against organized crime to the category of “internal armed conflict” and classified criminal gangs as terrorist groups. Likewise, he issued a national state of exception, effective from January 8 to April 7, militarizing prisons, the epicenter of the violence crisis, dominated by criminal gangs.
Gangs dedicated to drug trafficking are blamed for the wave of violence that is plaguing Ecuador, with a homicide rate of 47 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.
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