Quito (EFE).- The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) denounced on Tuesday the “arbitrary detention” of over 50 protesters amid protests against the elimination of the diesel subsidy and other demands.
During a press conference in the Amazonian province of Pastaza, CONAIE president Marlon Vargas denounced the detentions, stating that “the arbitrary detention of more than 50 of our members constitutes a serious violation of human rights, particularly the rights to personal liberty, physical integrity, and social protest.”
He also warned of an alleged refusal by the authorities to provide information on the legal and physical situation of the detainees, which he said violates the right to due process and constitutes a crime of enforced disappearance.
CONAIE demanded that judges, prosecutors, and other relevant authorities “immediately release the detainees and guarantee their personal integrity” in strict compliance with the Constitution, international treaties, and conventions.
Additionally, CONAIE held the country’s president, Daniel Noboa; his ministers; and the public force responsible for any attacks against the lives, security, and dignity of its members.
CONAIE called on national and international human rights organizations to urgently monitor the situation in Ecuador, given the escalating repression that threatens the democratic order and the validity of public liberties.
Resistance/terrorist act
The Indigenous people demanded that the government repeal Decree 126, which eliminated the diesel subsidy, one of the main reasons they called for a national strike. They also denounced the government’s repression in the provinces of Imbabura and Pichincha against the legitimate, constitutional resistance exercised by communities and social organizations.
On Tuesday, Minister of Government, Zaida Rovira, reported that 47 people were detained since the beginning of the demonstrations. She described Monday’s events in Otavalo as “terrorist acts.”
According to the police, a thousand protesters attacked the National Police barracks, injuring two police officers and causing damage to the Judicial Police facilities, housing for police officers, and police and civilian vehicles.
Rovira said that two of the detainees are foreigners and alleged members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, which the Ecuadorian government has classified as “terrorists.”
“Repression is a crime”
Vargas reiterated that “resistance is a right, repression is a crime” and that “freedom, justice, and dignity are not negotiable.”
At the press conference, leaders of various nationalities from the Amazonian province of Pastaza announced that they are joining the “permanent and progressive” protest.
Vargas said, “Today, the nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon rise to resist, as we did in the strikes of 2019 and 2022,” in reference to the protests during the administrations of Lenin Moreno (2017–2021) and Guillermo Lasso (2021–2023). Those protests forced both presidents to back down from their attempts to eliminate state fuel subsidies.
Vargas noted that Noboa is responsible for repealing Decree 126 and warned him: “If chaos breaks out, if there are divisions within the country, if the Amazon region takes another path, you will be solely responsible for dividing the country.”
“Here we are, and here you will see us in the streets resisting. We are prepared to resist for as long as necessary, as we and our ancestors have done,” the Indigenous leader warned.
Minister Rovira said they would act “with a firm hand against those who are not part of social protest but are generating these acts of terrorism” in an attempt to destabilize the country.
On Monday, Noboa addressed alleged attempts at destabilization: “We are now fighting a battle against sectarianism and people who want to destabilize Ecuador, and we will not yield an inch,” he said at a public event in Cotopaxi Province, where protests both for and against the government were taking place. EFE
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