Colombian diplomacy said these deportations were carried out unilaterally by the neighboring country.

From July 24, President Daniel Noboa’s administration has deported hundreds of Colombians who were incarcerated in Ecuadorian prisons. Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said these deportations were carried out unilaterally by the neighboring country.

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“Of the more than 600 deported so far, nearly 450 have already entered the country, while the rest remain at the Rumichaca Bridge awaiting entry,” Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Colombian Acting Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio traveled to the Rumichaca Bridge, located on the border between the two countries, to witness the return of the nationals and to ensure they were treated with dignity and that their human rights were respected throughout the process.

Of the 450 Colombians deported from Ecuadorian prisons in this first wave, at least 348 have criminal records, according to Colombia’s Foreign Ministry, which also said it has submitted a formal diplomatic note requesting details on the remaining individuals.

Unlike previous repatriations—in which inmates were required to continue serving their sentences in Colombia—this group has been exempted from completing their sentences. As a result, they will be released upon entering Colombian territory, as long as they have no pending legal cases in the country.

The text reads, “The most basic notions of international law, which prohibit mass deportations, have been breached, warned Gustavo Petro’s government.”

Colombia Protests the Move

The first deported inmates were taken from prisons in Chimborazo, Carchi, and Napo provinces during joint operations conducted by the Ecuadorian Armed Forces and National Police that began Thursday night.

Following the start of the deportations, Colombia’s Foreign Ministry issued a “strong protest” to the Ecuadorian government, denouncing what it described as an “unfriendly gesture” and criticizing the decision for being made unilaterally.

According to the Colombian Foreign Ministry, Ecuador made the decision to deport the inmates “ignoring Colombia’s respectful and repeated requests to establish a protocol for the transfer of these individuals under dignified conditions, respecting their rights, and ensuring a safe and orderly process.”

On Friday, the Colombian diplomacy said that an interagency coordination meeting was held “to define the procedures that will ensure the orderly, safe, and dignified entry of these nationals into the country.” The meeting included officials from Colombia’s migration agency, the National Police, and the Attorney General’s Office.

“The national government is working in coordination with the Unified Command Post set up by the Nariño governor’s office and the Ipiales mayor’s office to conduct ongoing monitoring of the situation,” the Colombian Foreign Ministry added.

Prisons have become epicenters of the wave of criminal violence affecting Ecuador, which now has the highest homicide rate in Latin America. In response, Noboa declared the country to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” to confront criminal gangs, which his government has labeled as terrorist organizations. In that context, Noboa ordered last year the repatriation of foreign inmates—who at the time numbered around 3,200, or roughly 10% of the country’s prison population.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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