Lawyers representing the families of four Afro-Ecuadorian children executed by military personnel in Guayaquil vow to take the case to international courts as Ecuador’s government faces mounting criticism over militarization, racism, and impunity.

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On December 8, 2024, four Afro-Ecuadorian children-Steven Medina (11 years old), Josué Arroyo (14 years old), Saúl Arboleda (15 years old), and Ismael Arroyo (15 years old),were detained by Ecuadorian Air Force soldiers in Guayaquil’s impoverished Las Malvinas neighborhood. Sixteen days later, their mutilated, burned bodies were discovered near a military base. This atrocity, committed despite a wave of militarized policing and state emergency measures, has become a national scandal and a flashpoint for Ecuador’s deepening human rights crisis.

The Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH) and other organizations have denounced the Ecuadorian state’s direct responsibility for the children’s disappearance and murder. According to CDH lawyer Fernando Bastías, the government’s narrative sought to stigmatize the victims and shield institutional actors from accountability. Only after public outcry and the release of security footage showing the military’s involvement did authorities admit to a forced disappearance. Bastías emphasizes that this violence is not random but targets racialized and impoverished communities, reflecting Ecuador’s entrenched structural racism.

The murders occurred under the so-called Plan Fénix, a militarized security initiative that grants the armed forces sweeping powers in working-class neighborhoods. Human rights experts argue that such policies blur the line between policing and warfare, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations and undermining constitutional protections. Instead of ensuring public safety, the militarization of Ecuador’s streets has led to widespread abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial executions.

Lo que siempre denunciamos, y nos atacaron e insultaron:

1. El ministro de @DefensaEc, Loffredo, impuso una impunidad institucional que obligó a los 16 militares a mentirle al país y a la @FiscaliaEcuador. No los "dejaron sanos y salvos", los torturaron física, psicológica y… pic.twitter.com/OV7fSy73Pa

— Fernando Bastias Robayo 🇵🇸 (@NandoBastias) April 29, 2025

The text reads: What we always denounced, and they attacked and insulted us: 1. The minister of @DefensaEc , Loffredo, imposed an institutional impunity that forced the 16 soldiers to lie to the country and to the @FiscaliaEcuador . They did not “leave them safe and sound,” they tortured them physically, psychologically and sexually. 2. It was not an “outburst,” it was the deliberate application of a “heavy-handed” policy disposition against the impoverished and racialized population. 3. This systematic conduct by @FFAAECUADOR was not isolated; it has put several lives at risk in Ecuador. Therefore, the 16 will be and are responsible for the forced disappearance and execution of Josué, Ismael, Nehemías, and Steven. All those responsible will be prosecuted. State agents cannot impose crimes as a way of combating insecurity, much less respond with impunity. The 33 victims of enforced disappearance and the dozens of extrajudicial executions at the hands of the military Solidarity with the families when they heard the news, solidarity with those who continue to support this struggle

International Condemnation and Calls for Accountability

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Amnesty International, and UNICEF have all condemned the killings, demanding a thorough investigation and prosecution of both direct perpetrators and those who orchestrated the crime. The IACHR has highlighted the case as emblematic of the dangers posed by a militarized approach to public security, urging Ecuador to guarantee justice and reparations for the victims’ families. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has similarly classified the case as one of forced disappearance, torture, and execution, warning that it reflects a broader pattern of violence in Ecuador’s racialized and impoverished neighborhoods.

Despite the preventive detention of 16 Air Force soldiers, families and advocates report that the criminal investigation has stalled, with authorities slow to pursue higher-level accountability. The government and military have appealed the charges, insisting the children were released alive-a claim contradicted by forensic evidence and witness testimony. Lawyers for the families have announced their intention to escalate the case to international courts if Ecuadorian authorities fail to recognize state responsibility and deliver justice.

The Las Malvinas case is not isolated. Human rights defenders have documented at least 27 disappearances during military operations in 2024 alone, with the vast majority occurring in poor, racialized communities. The CDH has criticized the Public Prosecutor’s Office for failing to investigate these cases as enforced disappearances, instead treating them as “involuntary disappearances” and neglecting state-led search efforts. The United Nations has issued urgent calls for protection and justice for the families of all victims of enforced disappearance in Ecuador.

The execution of four children by military personnel has galvanized a national movement demanding an end to impunity, demilitarization of public security, and full accountability for state violence. As international pressure mounts and families prepare to seek justice beyond Ecuador’s borders, this case stands as a stark indictment of the government’s failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens-and a rallying cry for human rights defenders across Latin America

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