Re: Nueva Loja Mayor Maximo Abad and Governor Guillermo Munoz of Sucumbios Province
To: Dr. Alfredo Palacio, President of the Republic of Ecuador
From: Nerys Poole, member of LRWC
Date: 2005-08-26
Lawyers¡¦ Rights Watch Canada (¡¥LRWC¡¦) is gravely concerned about the arrest and continued detention of the Nueva Loja Mayor Maximo Abad and Governor Guillermo Munoz.
According to credible information received from Amnesty International and the Lago Agrio Human Rights Commission, the mayor and the governor were arrested on August 19, 2005. The arrest was made as a result of protests and strikes over the state of emergency imposed by President Palacio in Orellana and Sucumbio provinces.
There is no legal basis for this state of emergency. The violent crackdown on protesters and strikers, including the arrest and detention of the mayor and the governor, are contrary to the democratic rights of Ecuadorean citizens. LRWC has also been informed that numerous people have been injured from the excessive response of the armed forces in these provinces and that some have been tortured while in detention.
LRWC calls on the government of Ecuador to act on its domestic and international obligations by immediately releasing the mayor and the governor, removing the decree of the state of emergency and removing the suspension of the constitutional rights of its citizens in Orellana and Sucumbios. In addition, LRWC calls on the government of Ecuador to ensure that the rights of those detained by the government are upheld under Ecuador¡¦s constitution and pursuant to its international obligations.
Moreover, LRWC calls on the government of Ecuador to enter into discussions with the various social organizations who have been actively involved in the challenge to the contracts between the government and the U.S. based Occidental (Oxy) and Canada¡¦s EnCana and to endeavour to resolve these issues in ways that uphold the democratic rights of its citizens.
Please advise LRWC by mail, e-mail or fax of the actions taken by the government of Ecuador to:
1. Release the Mayor of Nueva Loja and the Governor of Sucumbios;
2. Initiate peaceful dialogue with the various social organizations lobbying for change in the negotiation of the contracts with the large oil companies;
3. Collaborate with these groups to develop alternatives to oil extraction in the provinces of Orellana and Sucumbios.
LRWC awaits your response. Thank you for your attention to our concerns.
