Human rights organizations in Ecuador have called for the urgent intervention of international bodies to monitor the impact of Executive Decree No. 424, signed by President Daniel Noboa, arguing that the measure raises concerns over democratic governance, accountability and human rights protections.
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International appeal
In a letter addressed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations special procedures, the organizations urged both bodies to request technical and legal information from the Ecuadorian government regarding the implementation of the decree.
The Alliance of Human Rights Organizations said the measure expands the state of emergency recently declared in ten provinces and further contributes to what it described as the country’s “serious democratic deterioration.”
The decree authorizes foreign forces to participate in security operations conducted under Ecuador’s declared internal armed conflict while granting them immunity during those operations.
Accountability concerns
The organizations also criticized Noboa’s announcement that foreign personnel would receive legal benefits, arguing that the measure creates an “institutional expectation of protection or exceptional treatment regarding future conduct that has not yet been determined.”
According to the groups, such provisions could amount to advance protection from future liability, contradicting Inter-American jurisprudence on serious human rights violations.
They also warned that the decree fails to clearly define the scope of activities permitted for the so-called “cooperating states” and does not establish effective oversight mechanisms or precise rules governing the use of force.
The organizations argued that the immunity granted under the decree “makes it more difficult to determine responsibility for possible human rights violations,” potentially leaving victims without guarantees of access to truth, justice and reparations.
Security deployment
The new deployment will send approximately 13,000 soldiers to four Ecuadorian provinces as part of the government’s strategy to combat organized crime under the expanded state of emergency.
“Following this decision, military personnel from allied countries will be able to deploy in the provinces most affected by violence to work alongside our security bloc,” Noboa said when announcing the arrival of the foreign troops.
Amid escalating violence linked to organized crime, the organizations called for transparency regarding the operational rules governing the deployment, oversight mechanisms and the judicial procedures that would apply under the decree.
Source: teleSUR English
