HRW Reports on the Growing Repression in Ecuador
They denounce the excessive force used against protests

HAVANA TIMES – Ecuador’s security forces are restricting freedom of assembly and have used excessive force in their response to the protests that have been taking place since mid-September, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement on Tuesday, October 21.
Juanita Goebertus, HRW’s Americas director, stated that “the government of Ecuador must respect the rights of demonstrators and respond to the demands that periodically bring Ecuadorians into the streets.”
“Any protester involved in violent acts should be investigated, but that does not justify stigmatizing other demonstrators or using excessive force,” Goebertus added.
Since September 18, protests have taken place across several regions of Ecuador—including assemblies, marches, and road blockades—led by the Indigenous movement after President Daniel Noboa eliminated diesel fuel subsidies.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) has reported the deaths of three protesters, numerous injuries, and hundreds of arrests. The protests continue despite the government’s imposition of a state of emergency in 12 of the country’s 24 provinces.
As of Tuesday, there were still road blockades in 20 locations, mainly in the northern part of the country, extending the strike that Conaie began a month ago.
Although the trigger for the protests was the removal of the diesel subsidy—which raised the price per gallon (3.7 liters) from $1.80 to $2.80—new demands soon followed: a reduction of the value-added tax from 15% to 12%, and more funding for the education, health, and electricity sectors.
The government justified the fuel measure, arguing among other reasons that the subsidy cost the Ecuadorian state nearly $1.1 billion annually and undermined the “sustainability of public finances.”
The protests have since expanded to include other causes: the defense of Ecuador’s Amazon region against the government’s extractivist plans; opposition to its call for a national constituent assembly; and demands for the release of detained protestors, some of whom have been charged with terrorism and other crimes.
HRW stated that “although some protesters engaged in violent acts, most demonstrations were peaceful,” and the government “responded by deploying the Armed Forces, which in several instances used excessive force against demonstrators.”
The government accused the protesters of “terrorism” and froze the bank accounts of Indigenous and environmental groups and leaders, HRW noted.
The organization reported that it had verified 15 videos of the protests showing soldiers or police forcibly dispersing peaceful demonstrations and using tear gas and “less-lethal weapons” in a negligent and indiscriminate manner.
Investigators also reviewed official documents showing that a media outlet had been suspended and that environmental defenders and Indigenous leaders were being investigated.
HRW requested comments from the Interior and Defense ministries regarding allegations of excessive force and deaths linked to the protests.
The organization acknowledged that some protesters have participated in violent acts, including damage to public and private property. For example, in September Indigenous protesters held 17 soldiers captive for three days.
The government also reported two attacks on official convoys in which the president was present. In an email to HRW on October 17, the acting defense minister cited “lethal assaults” on soldiers and cases of “kidnapping and torture.”
HRW recalled that since January 2024, President Noboa has repeatedly resorted to declaring states of emergency to deploy the armed forces in Ecuador’s streets and prisons, which has led to increased reports of human rights violations.
He also declared an “internal armed conflict” to justify a broader and potentially more lethal use of military force, but HRW noted that Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has questioned whether such a conflict actually exists.
Since September 19, authorities have frozen the bank accounts of Indigenous and environmental organizations and leaders, reportedly based on “secret intelligence reports.” The Interior Ministry claimed that these groups had allegedly financed violent protests.
On September 25, the Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation for “unjustified private enrichment” against more than 50 individuals, including Conaie president Marlon Vargas and members of environmental organizations such as Pachamama and Yasunidos.
Instead, “the Ecuadorian government must ensure accountability for abuses and recognize the importance of the issues that protestors are raising in the streets,” Goebertus concluded.
First published in Spanish by IPS and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.