{"id":97336,"date":"2025-10-10T09:13:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T13:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cejil.org\/?post_type=comunicado-de-prensa&p=97336"},"modified":"2025-10-10T12:43:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:43:32","slug":"international-organization-condemn-the-repression-of-protesters-and-call-for-the-international-community-to-stay-vigilant","status":"publish","type":"comunicado-de-prensa","link":"https:\/\/cejil.org\/en\/press-releases\/international-organization-condemn-the-repression-of-protesters-and-call-for-the-international-community-to-stay-vigilant\/","title":{"rendered":"International organization condemn the repression of protesters and call for the international community to stay vigilant"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Americas, October 10, 2025. – The following organizations condemn the use of excessive force on the part of the Ecuadorian security forces in response to the protests which broke out in provinces across the country last week. We strongly urge the government of Ecuador to immediately cease the use of violent force and adopt emergency measures to prevent further violations of human rights\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These protests originated as an expression of civil discontent in the face of insecurity, economic crisis, and the lack of state response to legitimate socioeconomic and political grievances. However, the reaction of the state has been strikingly repressive. Military and police convoys were deployed in response to the protests, including one of more than 100 vehicles, which traveled from Quito to Imbabura on September 28, headed by the Ministers of Defense and the Interior. Armed forces have interfered in the maintenance of public order – a function for which they are not normally responsible – and used disproportionate lethal force.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As of today, the Alliance for Human Rights has recorded: 252 human rights violations, 124 people injured, and one fatality in the context of state repression. Although official figures refer to 111 people detained, the Alliance has documented 101 arbitrary detentions and at least 12 people who suffered short-term enforced disappearance, including one person with a disability. Phone and internet outages were reported in Cotacachi, Otavalo, and La Esperanza, a form of censorship which impedes protests, voices in the media, and human rights defenders from documenting and denouncing violations. In addition, there have been documented cases of mass arrests, judicial proceedings without due process, disinformation, the freezing of bank accounts, the criminalization of justice operators, human rights defenders, and journalists, and summary deportations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed alarm at the scale of violence in Ecuador and has called for emergency dialogue between the government and mobilized sectors, emphasizing the necessity of guaranteeing the protection of human rights and of the lives of all involved. Additionally, we reiterate that states bear the responsibility to investigate the use of unlawful force and the military is not trained to enforce or maintain civil security.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We reiterate that peaceful protest is a fundamental right tightly bound to the freedom of expression, assembly, association, and participation in public affairs. States bear the responsibility to respect, protect, and guarantee its exercise, including assuring safe conditions for mobilization, enabling online organizing, and protecting the work of journalists and human rights defenders<\/span>.<\/b> The use of force is only legitimate when it adheres to the principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality (limiting its use to what is strictly necessary and proportionate to its risk), and the participation of armed forces in the maintenance of public order violates international standards and aggravates the risk of grave violations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the above reasons, the following organizations strongly urge the state of Ecuador to immediately cease the use of disproportionate force, guarantee peaceful protest, and open space for genuine dialogue with the mobilized elements of society. Furthermore, we call on the international community, including the IACHR and UN to condemn this repression, demand an official response, and conduct on site verification visits in response to the gravity of these violations of human rights.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Signed:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

International<\/strong><\/p>\n