At dawn on November 12, a new bloodbath, the first of 2024, occurred in one of the pavilions of the Litoral Penitentiary, in Guayaquil. That, the most violent prison in the country, is under the control of the Armed Forces, but militarization did not prevent 15 inmates from being murdered and another 14 from being injured.
The Comprehensive Care Service (SNAI), in charge of the prisons, confirmed the incident and the number of deaths and victims. According to the government entity: “The Security Block acted immediately to take full control of the facilities and activate a large-scale search operation, in addition to initiating the corresponding investigations to clarify what happened.” He then announced that the prison “is under absolute control.” The Ecuadorian press in Guayaquil reported the arrival of military and police personnel at the Penitentiary.
The journalist specialized in security, Karol Noroña, recalled in X that this new violent event occurs “on the third anniversary of the massacre that left 65 people murdered in 2021.” According to the information published by Noroña, among those murdered there is a dismembered prisoner. The journalist has pointed to pavilion 3 as the crime scene: “In that pavilion are the gangs Los Duendes, Mafia 18 and Trébol Killer, according to internal sources,” she indicated.
Although there were suspicions of possible escapes, the SNAI indicated that no inmate has left the penitentiary center.
The prison crisis facing Ecuador
According to the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights of Ecuador (CDH), which has kept a detailed record of the prison situation since 1986, it has indicated that between 2018 and 2022, 591 bodies were found inside the country’s prisons. Of that total, 76% were people killed in massacres inside prisons. According to reports, so far, the massacres have left more than 600 prisoners murdered.
In its 2022 report, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) noted that the conditions in Ecuadorian prisons constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, violating the rights to life, personal integrity and health. The IACHR report also highlighted that the State has failed to implement effective measures to reduce the levels of violence within prisons.
Prisons have become centers of organized crime operations. Infobae learned that the last attacks that claimed the lives of prison officials were ordered from the prisons. In the midst of criminal governance, militarization at first seemed like a solution, however, reports of torture, lack of food, and even rape were reported. The UN Committee, this year, indicated that there are deficiencies in the Ecuadorian prison system, including problems with food, water and medical care, inadequate hygiene conditions, lack of security for vulnerable prisoners such as women, LGBTI people and people with disabilities, discrimination and sexual abuse, in addition to deficiencies in rehabilitation and reintegration programs.
In the midst of this scenario of precariousness, President Daniel Noboa announced that he will present a partial reform to the Ecuadorian Constitution that seeks to eliminate the category of priority care groups for people deprived of liberty. According to the official statement, issued on the night of November 6, 2024 by the General Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency, this initiative involves the modification of articles 35 and 51 of the Constitution. The proposal aims to “a sense of justice and equality” in the distribution of resources and state attention.
Noboa’s proposal already raises serious concerns regarding human rights and for some lawyers and analysts it can be described as a regressive measure, contravening both constitutional principles and international obligations assumed by Ecuador.
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