Ecuador: Appeals for those facing jail terms in anti-govt protests, stalled according to HRW

hrw.org reported people facing jail terms in Ecuador for participating in anti-government protests can appeal under a new law, but the courts have repeatedly stalled on hearing their cases. The convictions are based on overly broad definitions of crimes that are no longer applicable to these cases, but courts have delayed scheduling appeals in cases in which top officials had expressed approval for the original sentences.

In recent years, prosecutors and judges in Ecuador have used charges of “terrorism” and “sabotage” in the criminal code against anti-government protesters. Human Rights Watch has documented several of these cases. However, the new criminal code that entered into force in August 2014 narrowed the vague and overly broad definitions of both offenses. Rather than acting promptly to review the unjust convictions based on the new provisions, judges have failed to even set hearing dates for appeals in cases in which President Rafael Correa and other government officials had signaled their satisfaction with the convictions. Read Article

FOR A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURE IN ECUADOR – READ THIS BOOK