Concern and rejection of the state's reaction under President Guillermo Lasso to the National Strike

To the international community 

Given the current political situation in Ecuador, the CLACSO Working Group Disputed states expresses its deep concern and rejection of the state reaction that the government of President Guillermo Lasso has maintained in the face of the days of the National Strike in which the country finds itself. 

Since June 13, the National Strike called by the National Confederation of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) has brought together communities, collectives, organized and unorganized sectors of women, students, transport workers, professionals, self-employed and salaried workers, laborers, indigenous people, inhabitants of rural and urban neighborhoods, artists and cultural managers, exercising their legitimate right to struggle and resistance, in the face of the onslaught of government policies that have aggravated their living conditions and the zero response that the executive has given to their demands. 

For its part, the Lasso government has reacted by criminalizing the protests, associating the demonstrators with groups and funding from drug trafficking and organized crime. It also declared a state of emergency due to “grave internal unrest,” which eliminates the right to free assembly and allows the security forces to “preserve public order.” All of this demonstrates the securitization of politics, the absence of dialogue, and the erosion of human rights. Democracy has been displaced by authoritarianism and the militarization of public life. 

Although the state of emergency was lifted and there was an attempt at dialogue, the government has not changed its approach. In recent days, it has become clear that the government has used state resources to manipulate the media and distort the political meaning of the National Strike. We will illustrate this situation through some specific events that have occurred in recent days: 

1. Use of public force, national police and armed forces for: 

• Requisition of the House of Ecuadorian Culture (CCE). Space of historical reference for the struggles of the organizations, peoples and nationalities of Ecuador.
• Raid on the facilities of the National Federation of Peasant, Indigenous and Black Organizations (FENOCIN)
• Harassment and attacks by the public force on the infrastructure of universities and religious communities that, declared as "centers of peace", have given refuge to the peoples and nationalities during the days of mobilization. 
• Intimidation, attacks and repression of people and organizations in their territories, communities and neighborhoods, during the various acts of demonstration, resulting in injuries and deaths. 

2. Illegal detention of Leonidas Iza, president of the Governing Council of CONAIE, among others. 
3. Encouraging the use of racism and classism as a policy of hatred and discrimination, provoking and inciting violent confrontations among residents. Evidence of this is the recent armed civilian groups that have attacked protesters; a form of outsourcing of public force. 
4. Strengthening the media blackout imposed by large media companies, which promote bias in information and public opinion.
5. The criminalization and delegitimization of protest through an official discourse that seeks to link it to drug trafficking and organized crime. It has been said that their actions "endanger democracy." 

Therefore, as a Working Group, we stand in solidarity with and support the struggles of the Ecuadorian people and warn of the need to denounce the authoritarian and repressive political practices of the Lasso government, which affect not only Ecuadorian democracy but also that of the entire region. In this regard, we call upon the international community to demand that the Ecuadorian government act democratically, activate channels of dialogue, and halt the violence, repression, and criminalization of peoples in struggle.

June 29th, 2022
CLACSO Working Group
Disputed states

This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Disputed states and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.