Ecuadorian Human Rights Defenders Denounce 27 Forced Disappearances
The sign reads, “The complicit silence of a racist society also killed them.” Photo: EFE
February 6, 2025 Hour: 1:33 pm
Cases of police and military abuse notoriously affect marginal neighborhoods where black populations are concentrated.
This week, the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH) reported 27 cases of enforced disappearance and another killing of an Afro-descendant child by the military in Ecuador.
RELATED:
Ecuadorians To Elect Their President on Sunday
CDH attorney Fernando Bastias, who is assisting the families of the victims, highlighted patterns observed in cases of enforced disappearance occurring amid the war against criminal groups launched by President Daniel Noboa in early 2024.
Among these patterns are arbitrary detentions and repressive actions carried out without any form of oversight, revealing the direct involvement of state agents in human rights violations.
On January 30, Miguel Rodriguez, a 14-year-old teenager, was killed by the military in Guasmo, an area of Guayaquil with high levels of poverty. While he, his brother, and other neighbors were playing soccer, police forces carried out the “Apolo 5” operation, which left Miguel injured.
Due to the severity of his wounds, he died the following day in the hospital. The police operation also injured his brother, Juan Rodriguez (16), and Jose Ramirez (18), both of whom remain hospitalized.
“We will file complaints against all the uniformed officers involved in the operation until the authorities determine who ordered and carried out the shooting,” said attorney Bastias.
This case will be brought before the Prosecutor’s Office to initiate a process for extrajudicial execution, as well as another case for exceeding the limits of service execution concerning the two hospitalized victims.
“What are the protocols and procedures that the police and armed forces follow when they enter poor neighborhoods in Guayaquil?” a CDH member questioned.
The CDH reports, which were released in the midst of the process leading up to Sunday’s presidential elections, highlight a rise in cases of enforced disappearance and the deepening of racism. For this reason, human rights defenders are demanding justice from the Noboa administration.
Previously, on Dec. 31, 2024, the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the murder of four minors who had been detained by the military police in Guayaquil. Their charred, dismembered, and tortured bodies were found near the Taura Air Force base.
teleSUR/ JF Source: BCB – Radio Pichincha
