Amnesty petitions for the events of October 2019 have deadlines for reports in the National Assembly

For next February 11, the Constitutional Guarantees Commission plans to present the report on the more than 300 requests for amnesty raised by social and indigenous organizations, and in whose group to be amnestied is included the prefect of Pichincha, Paola Pabón, Andean parliamentarian Virgilio Hernández and others.

The president of the commission, Fernando Cabascango, commented that the majority of requests for amnesties and pardons are from cases that have arisen in the last six years and that many of them have to do with defenders of nature against mining and oil projects. .

Similarly, there are cases of defenders of territories and who belong to communes, towns and communities. There are also, added the Pachakutik legislator, cases of people criminalized in the October 2019 uprising.

Amnesty process begins in the Assembly: Criminalization of protest and political persecution, petitioners allege

Cabascango pointed out that within the process that the National Assembly must comply with regarding amnesty requests regarding the October 2019 uprising, there are several names, among them, the prefect of Pichincha, Paola Pabón, Virgilio Hernández, Leonidas Iza, Jaime Vargas. What corresponds is to make a report for the knowledge of the plenary session and it will be that instance that resolves, he specified.

The commission approved on January 12 the work plan for the analysis of requests for amnesties and pardons. This implies that from January 14 to 26, the applicants, national and international experts, civil society organizations that work on human rights and the rights of nature will be received in a general commission.

It is estimated that until February 1 the information will be processed and later a report will be prepared for the knowledge of the Constitutional Guarantees table and from February 7 to 10 the approval of the report is planned.

Cecilia Velasque, deputy coordinator of the Pachakutik movement, anticipated that for the indigenous movement and the country’s social activists, next February 11 will be historic because the report on petitions made will be known. “We will mark history, no more persecution, no more trials for defending the rights of all,” he noted.

He indicated that the social fighters of the indigenous movement do not have the economic resources to defend themselves, and that the only crime they have committed is leaving the mountains, the parameters and the depths of the jungle to defend the rights of citizens.

Those who request amnesty are social leaders, social activists, community authorities and many have more than one trial, and even face personal accusations presented by mining and oil companies, noted Velasque, who commented that in some cases the State, through the governors , mayors, political lieutenants and the prosecution, put the accusations.

Velasque warned that the existence of more than 300 amnesty requests is something very serious for the Ecuadorian State, because under a perspective of the rule of law and full democracy it is not possible that there are so many prosecuted and persecuted. (I)