Prosecutors aim to prove that the soldiers murdered Josue and Ismael Arroyo, Nehemias Arboleda, and Steven Medina.

On Thursday, Judge Dennis Ugarte suspended the preliminary hearing against 16 members of the Ecuadorian Air Force accused of the forced disappearance and murder of four minors in Las Malvinas, Guayaquil in December 2024.

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The hearing was expected to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to bring the military personnel to trial in one of the most severe cases of state violence reported in the Andean nation.

Ugarte accepted a request from the defense attorneys representing the accused, who sought a postponement following the addition of new forensic evidence. Although a new date for the hearing was not set, the judge announced that the case would be prioritized and is expected to resume in August.

Prosecutors aim to prove that the soldiers illegally detained Josue and Ismael Arroyo, Nehemias Arboleda, and Steven Medina — ages 11 to 15 — who were later killed and left on a rural road in Taura. Among the evidence is a video recorded by one of the indicted lieutenants that shows the boys being mistreated. The service member sent the recording to his sister, whose phone was seized to extract the footage.

The text reads, “Five military personnel prosecuted for the forced disappearance of four minors in the ‘Las Malvinas Four’ case requested a two-year prison sentence reduction after applying for the victim and witness protection program, according to one of their lawyers before the hearing scheduled for July 10, 2025.”

Investigators also found a photo of one of the minors on the phone of Bryan Vicente A.A., known as “Momo,” who has been identified as the leader of the gang Las Aguilas and is the alleged mastermind behind the murders. His case is being handled in a separate criminal proceeding.

Abraham Aguirre, an attorney supported by the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH), revealed that two lines of investigation are underway: the first, on forced disappearance, is the subject of the current hearing, while the second, for kidnapping resulting in death, remains under preliminary investigation by the National Specialized Unit for Transnational Organized Crime Investigation (Unidot), led by Prosecutor Wilson Toainga.

Judge Ugarte must decide whether the evidence presented is sufficient to bring the uniformed men to trial. All but one of the accused have been in custody since Dec. 31, 2024. A high-ranking officer was later named as a suspected accomplice. The court will also determine whether to uphold the pretrial detention measures for the accused.

Meanwhile, the CDH has called for a peaceful gathering outside the Southern Judicial Unit, where families, friends, and human rights advocates plan to demand justice for the four teenagers — now seen as symbols in the fight against abuse of power and impunity in Ecuador.

The text reads, “The National Assembly declares the Defense Minister politically responsible for the Las Malvinas Four case. With 66 votes from the 125 members present, the resolution was approved recognizing Gan Carlo Loffredo’s political responsibility for failing to fulfill his duties regarding the forced disappearance of the four minors from Las Malvinas, as indicated in a report by the Comprehensive Child Protection Commission, which will serve as input for a possible impeachment trial against the Defense Minister.”

New witness testimonies identify Second Lieutenant John Henrry Z.E. as the main perpetrator of the abuse and abandonment of the minors in a remote area of Taura. According to these accounts, the officer ordered the boys to be left naked at night in an isolated location — contradicting earlier claims that they would be handed over to police in Yaguachi.

Witnesses described beatings, close-range gunfire, and the recording of the abuse. Corporals Rodrigo Raul N.P. and Ronald P.T., along with Sergeant Wilmer Danny L.C., are also alleged to have participated in the violence before leaving the boys, who were later found dead and burned.

Just hours before the hearing was suspended on Wednesday, the Ecuadorian Air Force released a statement requesting the revocation of the pretrial detention order for the 16 military members charged in the forced disappearance of Ismael, Josue, Steven, and Nehemias.

Later, Fernando Bastias, a human rights expert and attorney for the victims’ families, accused the Ecuadorian government of attempting to secure the release of the detained soldiers by applying the National Solidarity Law. The Armed Forces’ request “would demonstrate institutional cover-up, complicity, and esprit de corps on the part of the military,” Bastias said, as reported by Pichincha Comunicaciones.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: Central News – Ecuador Inmediato- Pichincha Comunicaciones

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