Ecuador
05.09.01
Urgent Interventions
Ecuador: death of the Sub-lieutenant Julio Rubén Robles Eras in an initiation rite
Case ECU 050901
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Ecuador :
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT has been informed of the death of the Sub-lieutenant of the Army, Mr Julio Rubén Robles Eras, who, according to reports, died because of cruel and inhuman treatment inflicted at the Infantry Battalion BI-21 Macará of the Armed Forces, in the province of Loja on the southern frontier of Ecuador.
According to information from the Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos (CEDHU), on 22 August 2001, Mr. Julio Rubén Robles Eras, 22, recently promoted to Sub-lieutenant of the Ecuatorian Army and assigned to the Battalion BI 21 Macara, was seen by inhabitants of Macara, along with three other new Sub-lieutenants, passing through the streets in his underclothes on a donkey. A van of soldiers preceded the four soldiers, sounding the horn very loudly, then led them into the Battalion camp. The reports add that this was an example of the practice known as “baptism”, in which new recruits and new officers are initiated into the armed forces by subjecting the to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
The reports add that on 23 August 2001, in the early hours of the morning, the Commandant of BI-21 Macará, Mayor Jorge Segovia, informed the doctor, Luis Vega Eras, that his brother, Julio Rubén Robles Eras, had died during this initiation rite, apparently due to suffocation after drinking a bottle of liquor. This initial version of events was confirmed by the battalion’s doctor, Dr Edmundo Ortíz.
According to the information received, the results of Mr Roble Eras’s autopsy discredit the version given by the military doctor, concluding that the possible cause of death was an attack related to rickets. Furthermore, the autopsy report adds that there are no signs that the victim had consumed alcohol before his death, neither that he had suffocated. In addition, the Public Prosecutor noted that the three other new Sub-Lieutenants who had been “baptised” had no sign of injury.
The death of the Sub-Lieutenant Julio Rubén Robles Eras seems to be a worrying precedent which contradicts the reforms planned in the recent White Paper project, whose aims have been set out by the Minister of Defence of Ecuador as the creation of a military institution which respects democracy and human rights, subordinated to political authority.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT shares the grave concern expressed by the CEDHU about the events described above and firmly condemns the military practised known as « baptism », which, in the case of Sub-Lieutenant Roble Eras, involved cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments and brought about his death. Such practices in various countries have been rigorously denounced by the Committee Against Torture.
The OMCT therefore urges the Armed Forces of Ecuador to eradicate definitively any practice which violates human rights, including those that form part of investigation processes or training methods, and in particular those practised during rites such as the « baptism » initiating new recruits into the military.
Requested Action:
Please write to the Ecuadorian Authorities urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the above-mentioned pesrons;
ii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the above.mentioned events in order to identify those reponsible, bring them to justice and apply the civil, penal or adminstrative sanctions stipulted by law;
iii. apply all appropriate norms to bring an end to inhuman practices in the military;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties in all the country in accordance with national law and international human rights norms.
Addresses:
· Sr. Dr. Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, Presidente de la República del Ecuador, Palacio de Carondelet, García Moreno 1043, Quito, Ecuador. Fax: (+59 3) 258 07 51;
E-mail: vpre@uio.telconet.net; despresi@presidencia.ec-gov.net
· Sr. Almirante Hugo Unda, Ministro de Defensa Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.
Fax: (+59 3) 258 04 31; E-mail: despacho@pop.midena.mil.ec
· Sr. Rodolfo Barnioll, Ministro de Gobierno y Policía, Fax: (+59 3) 258 00 67
E-mail: ministrog@presidencia.ec-gov.net
· Sr. Wilson Mayorga, Director de Derechos Humanos del Ministerio de Gobierno.
Fax: (+59 3) 258 00 67.
Please write to the diplomatic representatives of Ecuador in their respective countries.
Geneva, 5 September 2001
Kindly inform us of any action taken regarding the present case, citing the case number of this appeal in your response.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Ecuador :
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT has been informed of the death of the Sub-lieutenant of the Army, Mr Julio Rubén Robles Eras, who, according to reports, died because of cruel and inhuman treatment inflicted at the Infantry Battalion BI-21 Macará of the Armed Forces, in the province of Loja on the southern frontier of Ecuador.
According to information from the Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos (CEDHU), on 22 August 2001, Mr. Julio Rubén Robles Eras, 22, recently promoted to Sub-lieutenant of the Ecuatorian Army and assigned to the Battalion BI 21 Macara, was seen by inhabitants of Macara, along with three other new Sub-lieutenants, passing through the streets in his underclothes on a donkey. A van of soldiers preceded the four soldiers, sounding the horn very loudly, then led them into the Battalion camp. The reports add that this was an example of the practice known as “baptism”, in which new recruits and new officers are initiated into the armed forces by subjecting the to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
The reports add that on 23 August 2001, in the early hours of the morning, the Commandant of BI-21 Macará, Mayor Jorge Segovia, informed the doctor, Luis Vega Eras, that his brother, Julio Rubén Robles Eras, had died during this initiation rite, apparently due to suffocation after drinking a bottle of liquor. This initial version of events was confirmed by the battalion’s doctor, Dr Edmundo Ortíz.
According to the information received, the results of Mr Roble Eras’s autopsy discredit the version given by the military doctor, concluding that the possible cause of death was an attack related to rickets. Furthermore, the autopsy report adds that there are no signs that the victim had consumed alcohol before his death, neither that he had suffocated. In addition, the Public Prosecutor noted that the three other new Sub-Lieutenants who had been “baptised” had no sign of injury.
The death of the Sub-Lieutenant Julio Rubén Robles Eras seems to be a worrying precedent which contradicts the reforms planned in the recent White Paper project, whose aims have been set out by the Minister of Defence of Ecuador as the creation of a military institution which respects democracy and human rights, subordinated to political authority.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT shares the grave concern expressed by the CEDHU about the events described above and firmly condemns the military practised known as « baptism », which, in the case of Sub-Lieutenant Roble Eras, involved cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments and brought about his death. Such practices in various countries have been rigorously denounced by the Committee Against Torture.
The OMCT therefore urges the Armed Forces of Ecuador to eradicate definitively any practice which violates human rights, including those that form part of investigation processes or training methods, and in particular those practised during rites such as the « baptism » initiating new recruits into the military.
Requested Action:
Please write to the Ecuadorian Authorities urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the above-mentioned pesrons;
ii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the above.mentioned events in order to identify those reponsible, bring them to justice and apply the civil, penal or adminstrative sanctions stipulted by law;
iii. apply all appropriate norms to bring an end to inhuman practices in the military;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties in all the country in accordance with national law and international human rights norms.
Addresses:
· Sr. Dr. Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, Presidente de la República del Ecuador, Palacio de Carondelet, García Moreno 1043, Quito, Ecuador. Fax: (+59 3) 258 07 51;
E-mail: vpre@uio.telconet.net; despresi@presidencia.ec-gov.net
· Sr. Almirante Hugo Unda, Ministro de Defensa Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.
Fax: (+59 3) 258 04 31; E-mail: despacho@pop.midena.mil.ec
· Sr. Rodolfo Barnioll, Ministro de Gobierno y Policía, Fax: (+59 3) 258 00 67
E-mail: ministrog@presidencia.ec-gov.net
· Sr. Wilson Mayorga, Director de Derechos Humanos del Ministerio de Gobierno.
Fax: (+59 3) 258 00 67.
Please write to the diplomatic representatives of Ecuador in their respective countries.
Geneva, 5 September 2001
Kindly inform us of any action taken regarding the present case, citing the case number of this appeal in your response.