Ecuador: judge orders investigation into alleged torture in prisons under military intervention

A judge of Ecuador ordered the Ombudsman’s Office to investigate alleged acts of torture committed by military personnel in several prisons across the country, within the framework of the state of emergency applied by the Government since the beginning of January to put an end to a crisis of prison riots.

The constitutional judge Manuel Penafrom the port city of Guayaquilalso ordered that uninterrupted medical care be provided to inmates, as reported this Sunday by the Committee of Relatives for Justice in Prisonsorganization that filed a habeas corpus appeal regarding the situation in prisons.

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He Judge Penaaccording to the source, ordered “monitor the mental health status of detained people” and asked the Ombudsman that within 45 days investigate reports of alleged “acts of torture occurring in prisons in Ecuador”.

He also urged “the Armed Forces to respect the law and frame their actions in respect for dignity.”and highlighted that National Service for Comprehensive Care for Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI)the State prison body, must “provide mattresses, access to electricity, drinking water, food, toiletries and toiletries directly” to prisoners, who “do not need to pay for it”, according to the Committee’s statement.

Likewise, he assured that The judge declared “the State responsible for the action and omission” in this case of rights violation, since the military apparently engaged in “actions that violated the personal integrity of people deprived of liberty, subjecting them to Abuse what could probably be torture”.

And by default, since, according to the Committee, “The SNAI is not exercising its competence to manage the centers due to the military intervention.”

For the Committee, the judge declared the responsibility of the Armed Forces “for violation of rights in prisons”.

At this time, neither the Government nor law enforcement bodies have commented on this judicial decision that takes place within the scope of joint operations carried out by military and police on a national scale, in prisons and on the streets, put an end to the spiral of violence that broke out at the beginning of January across the country.

On January 9, the President’s Government Daniel Noboa applied a Exception status and decreed the “internal armed conflict” to stop the spiral of violence attributed to organized crime.

The wave of violent actions was triggered when apparently the president of Ecuador was preparing to launch the so-called “Phoenix Plan”against crime.

In principle, this strategy sought to regain control of prisons, many of which were internally dominated by groups of criminals, whose rivalries has left more than 450 prisoners murdered since 2020 in a series of prison massacres.

Violence also moved to the streets, until it became Ecuador in one of the most violent countries in the region, with 45 intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.