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The level of
impunity for killings in Ecuador is astonishingly high,
according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial executions, Philip Alston. “The number of
murders carried out by hired killers, criminal gangs and
others is rising steadily, but at the same time fewer
and fewer are being caught,” he said. “Because of this
vicious circle of impunity, Ecuadoreans feel
increasingly insecure”, he added.
“Hired killers are paid as little as US$ 20 to ‘solve’ a
problem, but they can confidently expect to get away
with murder because the criminal justice system
functions so badly,” Mr. Alston said. “It consists of a
police service that all too rarely undertakes serious
and sustained investigations of killings, a prosecution
service which seems more concerned with public relations
than with convicting major criminals, and a judicial
system which is almost universally condemned for its
inefficiency and mismanagement. These problems are
compounded by allegations of corruption at most levels”,
he added.
The
homicide rate in Ecuador has doubled
Mr. Alston was delivering his preliminary findings on a
ten-day fact-finding mission to Ecuador, undertaken at
the invitation of the Government. He applauded the
Government of President Rafael Correa for many far-reaching
reforms in the constitutional and human rights areas. He
noted, however, that the homicide rate in Ecuador has
doubled since 1990 – to 20 killings per 100,000
inhabitants. In some areas, the rate is five times
higher.
The United Nations independent expert also expressed
concern about the situation along the northern border
with Colombia. “The conflict in Colombia has
increasingly spilled over to Ecuador and civilians are
trapped between the FARC, ex-paramilitaries, drug-traffickers,
and the Colombian and Ecuadorean armed forces,” he said.
The
impunity for all types of killings
“Citizens
are forced to cooperate with one armed group; and then
abused and killed by a competing group for doing so. The
Ecuadorean military is not well equipped to deal with
the situation, and as its relations with citizens have
soured, its reliance on abusive tactics to obtain
information has increased”, he added.
“The level of impunity for all types of killings in
Ecuador is shocking. For every 100 killings, only one
perpetrator is actually convicted. In addition to the
shortcomings of the police investigative process, it
seems that the police often don’t bother to pursue an
investigation seriously once they have decided that the
killing was part of a ‘settling of accounts’, defined as
inter-gang or other criminal violence,” said Mr. Alston.
Compensation for de victims
“This category seems largely designed to provide a
justification for the police not to bother too much with
investigating a large proportion of the killings that
take place, while reassuring the public that those
involved were essentially just crooks,” the Special
Rapporteur noted. “The analysis is often wrong, but more
importantly it leaves killers free to murder again, and
prevents the capture of organized criminal groups. It
also creates an easy cover for police who are themselves
implicated in killings”, he added.
In Mr. Alston’s assessment, the recently published
report of Ecuador’s Truth Commission is an important
step towards accountability for many past killings. He
called on the Government to ensure that the cases
documented by the Commission are now the subject of
effective criminal investigations and that the family
members of victims are provided with appropriate forms
of compensation.
Swisslatin (16.07.2010)
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