Ecuador
23.06.00
Urgent Interventions
Ecuador: Accusations / Risks
URGENT ACTION - THE OBSERVATORY
ECU 001 / 0006 / OBS 058
Accusations / Risks
ECUADOR
23rd June 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your intervention in connection with the following situation in Ecuador.
Brief description of the situation
The Observatory has received disturbing information referring to recent declarations emanating from high placed Ecuadorian authorities casting doubt on the work of organisations involved in the defence of human rights.
According to reports from the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights (APDH) of Ecuador on May 28th 2000 the newspaper "El Universo" published an interview with the Vice-President of the Republic, Mr. Pedro Pinto, in which he termed these social movements "coarse and harmful" adding that "the extreme left now has a different façade, appearing as social movements such as teaching, ecology and in some cases human rights."
Reports from other sources indicate that there is an attempt to depreciate social organisations in response to various social conflicts, particularly in the fields of education and health, and more recently on the part of judicial employees. This hypothesis seems to be confirmed by opinions from other authorities including the President of the Republic, Dr. Gustavo Novoa, who, 48 hours after the declarations referred to above, alluded to the teachers' strike which had been going on for several weeks and said that human rights defenders "do not appear" while teachers are continuing to violate the right to education. Similar expressions were used by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in reply to the opinions contained in the last report of Amnesty International.
The Observatory considers that such declarations are in contradiction with the position adopted by the authorities on other occasions concerning their availability for dialogue concerning the future of the country and is afraid that that this new attitude of the authorities may lead to a major deterioration of the social climate.
The Observatory shares the concern of the national and international organisations at these declarations whenever they are liable to encourage hostile attitudes or attacks on the freedom and safety of human rights defenders in this country.
Action requested
Write to the Ecuadorian authorities urging them to:
i. ensure in all circumstances the safety and freedom, both individual and collective of organisations and persons working to promote and defend human rights and adopt measures to prevent formulation or spreading of opinions tending to disqualify, delegitimize or discredit the efforts legitimately carried out;
ii. ensure the application of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9th 1998, particularly with respect to the protection of the right of "everyone individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels"(Art.1), as well as the duty of the State "to guarantee the protection by the competent authorities of everyone individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the right referred to in the present declaration.(Art.12.2)
iii. in general make their actions conform with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international pacts and conventions ratified by Ecuador.
Addresses
S.E Dr. Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, Presidente de la República del Ecuador, Palacio Nacional, Garcia Moreno 1043, Quito, Ecuador. Fax: (+ 59 3) 2 580 735; (+ 59 3) 2 580 751; E-mail webmast@mmrree.gov.ec
Dr. Antonio Andretta Ariza, Ministro de Gobierno y Policía, Belalcázar y Espejo, Quito, Ecuador. Fax: (+ 59 3) 2 580 067; (+ 59 3) 2 955 317.
Geneva - Paris, 23rd June 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. 1998 Human Rights Prize of The French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Fax : +33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH +33 (0) 1 48 55 20 11 OMCT: +41 (0) 22 809 49
39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
ECU 001 / 0006 / OBS 058
Accusations / Risks
ECUADOR
23rd June 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your intervention in connection with the following situation in Ecuador.
Brief description of the situation
The Observatory has received disturbing information referring to recent declarations emanating from high placed Ecuadorian authorities casting doubt on the work of organisations involved in the defence of human rights.
According to reports from the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights (APDH) of Ecuador on May 28th 2000 the newspaper "El Universo" published an interview with the Vice-President of the Republic, Mr. Pedro Pinto, in which he termed these social movements "coarse and harmful" adding that "the extreme left now has a different façade, appearing as social movements such as teaching, ecology and in some cases human rights."
Reports from other sources indicate that there is an attempt to depreciate social organisations in response to various social conflicts, particularly in the fields of education and health, and more recently on the part of judicial employees. This hypothesis seems to be confirmed by opinions from other authorities including the President of the Republic, Dr. Gustavo Novoa, who, 48 hours after the declarations referred to above, alluded to the teachers' strike which had been going on for several weeks and said that human rights defenders "do not appear" while teachers are continuing to violate the right to education. Similar expressions were used by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in reply to the opinions contained in the last report of Amnesty International.
The Observatory considers that such declarations are in contradiction with the position adopted by the authorities on other occasions concerning their availability for dialogue concerning the future of the country and is afraid that that this new attitude of the authorities may lead to a major deterioration of the social climate.
The Observatory shares the concern of the national and international organisations at these declarations whenever they are liable to encourage hostile attitudes or attacks on the freedom and safety of human rights defenders in this country.
Action requested
Write to the Ecuadorian authorities urging them to:
i. ensure in all circumstances the safety and freedom, both individual and collective of organisations and persons working to promote and defend human rights and adopt measures to prevent formulation or spreading of opinions tending to disqualify, delegitimize or discredit the efforts legitimately carried out;
ii. ensure the application of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9th 1998, particularly with respect to the protection of the right of "everyone individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels"(Art.1), as well as the duty of the State "to guarantee the protection by the competent authorities of everyone individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the right referred to in the present declaration.(Art.12.2)
iii. in general make their actions conform with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international pacts and conventions ratified by Ecuador.
Addresses
S.E Dr. Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, Presidente de la República del Ecuador, Palacio Nacional, Garcia Moreno 1043, Quito, Ecuador. Fax: (+ 59 3) 2 580 735; (+ 59 3) 2 580 751; E-mail webmast@mmrree.gov.ec
Dr. Antonio Andretta Ariza, Ministro de Gobierno y Policía, Belalcázar y Espejo, Quito, Ecuador. Fax: (+ 59 3) 2 580 067; (+ 59 3) 2 955 317.
Geneva - Paris, 23rd June 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. 1998 Human Rights Prize of The French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Fax : +33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH +33 (0) 1 48 55 20 11 OMCT: +41 (0) 22 809 49
39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch