UN report claims Ecuador violated human rights by militarizing fight against crime; New Azuay hydro plant is planned; Jeanne announces her retirement
Lunes, 20/1/2025
Hola, Todos –
I will be retiring from writing Jeanne’s Periodico at the end of this month. The last post of this column will be Thursday, January 30. Thank you for reading it for all these years. If you are interested, El Mercurio does provide home delivery.
Actividades –
De El Mercurio del sábado, 18/1 (2 articles):
The traditional horseback ride retracing the route of the heroes of Tarqui will be held February 15 and 16. The event is part of the celebration of the 1829 victory by the troops of Gran Colombia, commanded by Antonio José de Sucre, against those of Peru, commanded by José de La Mar. Had de La Mar been victorious, Cuenca would today be part of Peru. (El Comercio)
Abren muestra colectiva “Las Formas del Abrazo” (Group exhibit “The Shapes of Hugs” opens) – The Casa de la Cultura opened a collective exhibit “The Shapes of Hugs” in the Salón del Pueblo “Efraín Jara Idrovo” which will run until el 15/2, open from martes a sábados. The show which is the work of ex-students of the U. of Cuenca Art Department, invites the public to reflect on fragility, memory, and human coexistence through art.
Lista la XVI edición de la Cabalgata Histórica (XVI edition of the Historical Ride is ready) – The traditional horseback ride tracing the route of the heroes of Tarqui <what – you thought those heroes rode on bicycles or go-carts?> will be held on el sábado, 15/2 and el domingo, 16/2 starting at 7:30 from the Parque Calderón and end at the Casa de los Tratados in Girón with intermediate stops. On el sábado, the first stop will be in Acchayacu where the passage through the location of the French Geodesic Mission will be staged. There will be a stop in the Hacienda San Agustín where a lunch that will be served by the women who followed their men into battle is planned. The day will end at the Centro Agrícola Cantonal with a staging of the Battle of Tarqui. <Be careful with your bayonet. It’s not a toy.>
The ride will leave the agricultural center a las 7:30 to head to Portete de Tarqui. There the change of command maintaining the forms (formations?) of 1829 will be made. Once this military event is finished, it will take 30 minutes to get to the Casa de los Tratados in Girón. Everyone who makes the trip can do it on horses, as well as motorcycles, bicycles and ATVs.
Titular –
Debate: promesas recicladas (Debate: recycled promises ) – See today’s article in CHL.
Cuenca –
Presentan Proyecto Hidroeléctrico Agustina (Presentation of Agustina Hydroelectric Project) – From octubre of 2023 to abril of 2024, Ecuador faced a serious energy crisis that underlined the urgency of diversifying sources of energy and strengthening the resilience of the electrical system. The Ministerio de Energía y Minas (MEM) has prioritized moving towards clean energy and business models that promote environmental preservation and reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. <Our part as citizens, has been to roll with the punches in this transition process with good grace. Or complaining every second, depending on your individual personality.> The Augustina Hydroelectric Project will leverage the energy in the río Jubones and its tributaries, the riós León and Rircay. Mauricio Peña, manager of the project said that the pass-through plant will be in the El Tablón sector of Girón. This small plant will generate 19.2 megawatts (MW) which will be developed in 2 phases with private investments.
Actualidad –
De El Mercurio del viernes, 17/1 (1 article):
“La militarización produjo violaciones de derechos”(“Militarization produced violations of rights”) – The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), found serious violations of human rights with the deployment of the military in the streets and prisons after the different states of emergency that Pres. Noboa decreed to fight organized crime. The study by the HRW concluded that the measures the Ecuadorian Government used to quell the wave of criminal violence including the declaration of an “internal armed conflict” was done without sufficient supporting evidence to justify the existence of one or more non-international armed conflicts as was argued before the Tribunal Constitucional de Ecuador.
The president of HRW for the Américas, Juanita Geobertus, explained that reports from the Prosecutor’s Office talked about complaints filed in over 200 cases for excessive use of force, 80 cases of torture, at least 8 cases of forced disappearances, and 15 extra-judicial executions. The document pointed out that the military kept many detainees incommunicado for long periods, obstructed access to attorneys and medical attention, and subjected them to beatings, tear gas, electric shocks, sexual violence and homicide. In febrero, a magistrate ruled that the military put detainees at risk and that prison authorities did not comply with their obligations, and therefore the magistrate ordered medical attention and an investigation into torture.
HRW also warned about the fragility of the justice system and the number of allegations of corruption against it as well as its limited capacity and security to fight impunity and organized crime. It reported that judges and prosecutors are in danger and there is lack of adequate protection. At least 15 have been killed since 2022 including César Suárez who investigated the assault by a criminal gang on the TC Television station during a live broadcast.
The UN Human Rights Committee and other groups in civil society expressed their concern with the process of selecting judges, including to the Corte Nacional, when considering the lack of transparency and citizen partipation which plants doubts about judicial impartiality. It also indicated that Pres. Noboa labelled organizations as “antipatriotic” when they denounced the alleged human rights violations committed by security forces under the “armed internal conflict” used by the Government to classify criminal gangs as “terrorists.”
And that’s all for today so hasta ? –
Jeanne
