Land is Life expresses outrage at the death of Byron Guatatoca, Amazonian Indigenous defender of the Province of Pastaza, who died within the framework of the “State of Exception” dictated by the government of Ecuador to suppress peaceful and legal Indigenous-led demonstrations.
This is the latest in a series of violent acts against the Indigenous peoples in Ecuador, which are now in their tenth day of protests, during the current deterioration of living conditions and the impoverishment of the local and peasant communities of the country.
According to the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, (CONAIE), there are already more than a hundred injured and more than 79 detainees during the protests. The actions of the State security forces have ignored basic human rights, standard state observation procedures, constitutional guarantees and international agreements.
We call on the Ecuadorian State to cease the repression against the demonstrators and to fully observe their human rights, guarantee collective rights and address the legitimate demands of the population. We express our solidarity with all the victims of this conflict.