Ecuador: Court Demands Moreno to Address Prison Crisis

Ecuador's Constitutional Court (CC) on Tuesday denounced President Lenin Moreno's administration's lack of action to put an end to the prison riots that have left at least 79 prisoners dead.

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"The government must draw up a medium- and long-term action plan to address the crisis in the Ecuadorean prison system," CC urged after six riots were reported over the past two days.

The Constitutional Court also called for an investigation to identify and sanction those responsible as it urged Moreno to control these centers' security to guarantee their prisoners' rights.

"The government failed to address structural problems that have historically affected inmates, who are its absolute responsibility," CC assured.

Between May 2019 and October 2020, Ecuador decreed two states of a national exception because of violence inside public prisons.

"The violent incidents repeat in time because the government is not solving the crisis nor guaranteeing security and peaceful coexistence inside jails," the Court concluded.

On Tuesday, a wave of riots and clashes broke out in four prisons that house about 70 percent of the country's inmates. One day later, security forces stormed two detention centers following new riot attempts and disturbances.