2024-07-18 11:23:26
Relatives of persons deprived of liberty (PPL) appeared before the Commission on Constitutional Guarantees and Human Rights to explain the situation their relatives are experiencing. Also present were directors of a human rights organization and the Attorney General’s Office.
Aida Pino demanded that the commission investigate what is happening in prisons, since the military intervention. She suggested visiting the centers of deprivation of liberty, since there are cases of torture and mistreatment. She also requested an investigation into the circumstances in which some inmates have died. She revealed that relatives, with their own resources, bring hygiene kits and food rations.
Manuel Minga, from the Napo province, warned that they had been providing food for their relatives for a month. He said that they fear for their lives and physical integrity for denouncing what is happening in the country’s prisons and the administration of justice. He reported that in the case of the Archidona prison there are cases of mistreatment and damage to the health of the PPL.
For her part, Estrella Vera referred to the situation in the Esmeraldas prison. She stated that there are PPL sick with tuberculosis, despite which they are not isolated nor receive medical attention. She agreed with the other defendants, in the sense that they provide food to their families. We demand that the right to life, personal integrity, medical attention and visits from family members be respected.
Gabriela Anangonó, wife of a prisoner, said that since January 13 they have been experiencing a prison crisis. She gave as an example the Cotopaxi prison, where there are people sick with tuberculosis, hepatitis, chronic gastritis and even girls who are three and four months pregnant. She asked the legislative board to visit the prisons to verify the reality.
In turn, Mayra Carranza, who has two children deprived of their liberty, denounced the lack of medical attention and mistreatment by the military. She said that during her stay outside the Litoral Penitentiary she has seen PPL who leave with physical problems. She demanded that their relatives be subjected to true social rehabilitation processes and serve their sentences with respect for their rights.
Lizeth Salinas said that they have not been able to visit their relatives for 6 months and 17 days, violating a legitimate right to confinement. She said that the physical and mental integrity of her relatives has been violated, as they are in precarious health conditions due to a lack of food and medicine.
Rosa Bolaños, from the Regional Foundation for Human Rights Advice, called for action to be taken to prevent international organizations from putting Ecuador under scrutiny and issuing sentences that force reparations to victims. She also suggested that the commission coordinate actions with other State institutions and demystify the discourse of war against people deprived of liberty.
Assembly members Adrián Castro and Jahiren Noriega expressed their concern about the statements made by those present and agreed on the need to conduct the relevant investigation.
The president of the commission, Paola Cabezas, said that there is a commitment to take the investigation to the last instance and announced that they will visit the detention centers to obtain information regarding these “heartbreaking allegations.”
Finally, the Director of Human Rights and Citizen Participation of the Prosecutor’s Office, Alejandro Baño, recalled that in 2023 he created the Specialized Unit for the Legitimate Use of Force, whose mission is to investigate all cases of the use of force.
He revealed that the Attorney General’s Office has identified human rights violations by members of the military and has issued certain guidelines for the investigation of torture. He also asserted that the institution is working to be decisive against organized crime and terrorist groups within the framework of respect for human rights.
He also reported that they have initiated 2,024 actions ex officio in response to reports of alleged acts of violence by citizens in charge of enforcing the law, for potentially unlawful deaths within detention centers, for which they will review police reports, records of corpse removal and autopsies. “The prosecutors were reminded of the obligation to perform autopsies in all deaths, not just violent ones,” he added.
By: Radio Huancavilca