Ecuador: Threats and violence against government critics increases

Ecuador: Threats and violence against government critics increases
Amnesty International

It has become commonplace in Ecuador for journalists, civil activists and opposition politicians to be threatened, harassed or subjected to violent attacks. Outspoken individuals regularly reported receiving death threats throughout 2004 and many more threats may remain unreported.

Since December, however, the situation has deteriorated further, with civil society in Ecuador becoming more polarised following the actions of the country's Congress. In an extraordinary session called by the President, Congress removed 27 of the 31 judges sitting on the Supreme Court of Justice and nominated replacements, a move that triggered serious concerns over the independence of the judiciary.

Intimidation of critics has escalated since then. On 25 January, Orlando Pérez Torres, a journalist for Hoy (Today) newspaper who has written articles criticising the President and members of the judiciary was threatened at gunpoint. Mr Torres, who is also a professor at the Universidad de las Américas (University of the Americas) in the capital Quito, was walking to the university when two men approached him and pushed him against a wall. One of them put a gun to his stomach and said: "Deja de joder, de fastidiar, de escribir pendejadas, sino te vamos a matar" ("Stop f**king bothering writing bulls**t or you will get killed").