Jan Jarab urges President Noboa to ensure respect for the right to peaceful assembly amid ongoing unrest.

On Wednesday, Jan Jarab, the South America representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), called for an investigation into the deaths of two Ecuadorian Indigenous people during protests against President Daniel Noboa.

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“As OHCHR, we regret the deaths of Jose Guaman and Rosa Paqui, members of the Kichwa Indigenous nationality, in the context of protests in Ecuador. Authorities must investigate these deaths promptly and transparently,” he said, urging the Noboa administration to guarantee “the right to peaceful assembly, as well as conduct by security forces in accordance with international human rights standards.”

The death of Jose Guaman was confirmed by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which has been leading the massive demonstrations after Noboa decided to eliminate the diesel subsidy on Sept. 12.

Videos posted on social media show that soldiers opened fire on the 30-year-old Indigenous man on Tuesday in the municipality of Otavalo, in Imbabura province, the epicenter of the protests. Guaman, who was taken to a hospital in Quito, died after undergoing emergency surgery.

The text reads, “Jose Guaman wasn’t from San Miguel del Comun. He was just passing through this road on his way home. On this day, however, this town bids him farewell as if he had lived here and bids him farewell as a hero. On the road, men, women, and children pray the Lord’s Prayer, while the hearse, draped with an Ecuadorian flag, moves slowly forward.”

Rosa Paqui, a 61-year-old woman, died of cardiorespiratory arrest caused by the large amounts of tear gas fired by police at demonstrators in a town in the southern part of the country.

On Wednesday night, the Noboa administration announced a truce with leaders of Indigenous movements in Imbabura and pledged to establish dialogue tables aimed at reaching definitive agreements. Mainstream media outlets quickly reported that the national strike had ended. However, that was not the case.

Grassroots organizations and CONAIE rejected the agreements allegedly reached by some leaders and declared they would continue protesting until the Noboa administration addresses their demands.

Previously, on Sept. 29, Jarab had also called for a transparent investigation into the death of community member Efrain Fuerez, who was shot by soldiers during protests in Imbabura.

So far, state security forces have injured at least 250 people and detained 170 citizens during the national strike, which has now lasted for more than three consecutive weeks.

Human rights defenders have denounced that 12 Indigenous people detained in Otavalo in recent weeks remain missing. Authorities have not disclosed where they are being held.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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