Ecuador: Community leaders accused of 'terrorism'
Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco, community leaders in San Pablo de Amalí, central Ecuador, are facing unsubstantiated charges of organized terrorism. These criminal proceedings appear to be an attempt to silence their campaigning to demand their community’s right to consultation on the construction of a hydroelectric plant which they claim will affect the community’s right to water.
UA: 10/16 Index: AMR 28/3205/2016 Ecuador Date: 13 January 2016
URGENT ACTION
COMMUNITY LEADERS ACCUSED OF ‘TERRORISM’
Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco, community leaders in San Pablo de Amalí, central
Ecuador, are facing unsubstantiated charges of organized terrorism. These criminal
proceedings appear to be an attempt to silence their campaigning to demand their
community’s right to consultation on the construction of a hydroelectric plant which they
claim will affect the community’s right to water.
Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco have been accused of committing organized terrorism, a charge which
carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. The hearing against them is due to start on 19 January. They
are charged in relation to an attack on four police officers travelling in a vehicle on 14 August 2012. Local human
rights organizations state that clashes broke out that morning between the police and community members in San
Pablo de Amalí, Bolívar Province, and community members complained of excessive use of police force. The
attack on the vehicle occurred in the evening when community members confronted a police officer who had fired
his gun into the air. According to eye witnesses, neither Manuel Trujillo nor Manuela Pacheco were present at the
time of the attack on the vehicle. They are awaiting the outcome of the trial on bail.
Local human rights organizations claim that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has failed to present any solid evidence
to prove that Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco were present and responsible or involved in the attack against
the police officers, and based the charges on statements by police officers who claimed they were both present
during the attack.
Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco are both well-known community leaders in San Pablo de Amalí who have
campaigned highlighting concerns on the implementation of the Hidrotambo hydroelectric plant, which they believe
will negatively impact on the community’s right to water. They have also complained at the lack of participation and
consultation with those affected. The unsubstantiated charges against them seem to be an attempt to silence them
and put an end to the community’s long-standing opposition to the hydroelectric project.
Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:
Expressing concern that the criminal proceedings against Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco appear to be
an attempt to silence their campaigning to demand their community’s right to consultation on the construction of a
hydroelectric project which they claim will affect their right to water;
Urging the authorities to drop the unsubstantiated charges against Manuel Trujillo and Manuela Pacheco;
Urging them to ensure the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and acknowledging the state has a duty to
maintain public order.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 24 FEBRUARY 2016 TO:
Provincial Prosecutor of Bolivar
Dr. Manuel Sanchez Guillén
Fiscalía Provincial de Bolívar
Calle Cándido Rada y 9 de Abril
Guaranda, Ecuador
Fax: +593 3 2980 619 / +593 3 2985 666
/ +593 3 2984 953
Salutation: Dear Fiscal Provincial/Sr.
Fiscal Provincial
Minister of Justice, Human Rights and
Workship
Dra. Ledy Zúñiga Rocha
Ministerio de Justicia, Derechos
Humanos y Cultos
Av. Colón entre Diego de Almagro y
Reina Victoria
Quito, Ecuador
Email: comunicacion@minjusticia.gob.ec
Salutation: Dear Minister/Sra. Ministra
And copies to:
Local human rights NGO
INREDH
Avenida 10 de Agosto N34-80 y
Rumipamba. Piso 1
(Frente a la parada El Florón, del
Trolebus)
Quito, Ecuador
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
COMMUNITY LEADERS ACCUSED OF ‘TERRORISM’
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In 2002 the Ecuadorian State granted a private company the concession for the construction of the Hidrotambo hydroelectric
plant in an area where seventy campesino (peasant farmer) and Indigenous communities live in San Pablo de Amalí, Bolívar
Province. Soon after, the San Pablo de Amalí community raised concerns about the impact of the project on the community’s
right to water, the possible displacement of people due to floods and the lack of consultation about the project, especially with
regards to the Environmental Impact Study. According to local human rights organizations, between 2006 and 2008, several
clashes took place between the community and the company and security forces, as community members protested against the
building work. Leaders and community members were charged with various crimes, including sabotage, terrorism, and rebellion.
Among them was Manuel Trujillo, who had 30 legal proceedings opened against him during this period. He was later part of a
congressional amnesty and cleared of all charges.
The hydroelectric project was then suspended for four years until 2012. The community’s concerns about the project remained
when the project was reactivated. They also complained of several incidents in 2012 in which the company entered their land
without prior notification or consent. The building work of the project is now completed. Although the hydroelectric plant is not
operational, the river flow has been diverted closer to the community. In March 2015 the river overflowed, causing three deaths
and damage to the houses and crops of some community members.
Amnesty International has raised concerns that in recent years in Ecuador, spurious criminal charges have been brought
against Indigenous and campesino leaders, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to curb their rights to freedom of
expression, assembly and association. The organization has documented cases of leaders who have been charged with
criminal offences such as terrorism, sabotage, illicit association, kidnapping, murder, causing injury, robbery, trespassing and
illegal obstruction of public roads in the context of protests against laws and policies, particularly those that relate to natural
resources (see the report: ‘So that no one can demand anything’: Criminalizing the right to protest in Ecuador?,
https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr28/002/2012/en and Urgent Action:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr28/1604/2015/en/).
Name: Manuel Trujillo (m) and Manuela Pacheco (f)
Gender m/f: both
UA: 10/16 Index: AMR 28/3205/2016 Issue Date: 13 January 2016