Ecuadorian Government shuts down Human Rights Organization Pachamama
On December 4th, 2013, Pachamama – an Ecuadorian human rights organization working on indigenous rights and environmental issues for more than 16 years - was shut down via Ministerial Resolution based on the Executive Decree 16 approved in June 2013.
This action constitutes the first application of such Decree, which has been highly criticized by several organizations, because it gives the executive ample power for the government to close down Human Rights organizations. In solidarity, a collective letter has been written by the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-net) to express concern of the closure of offices of Pachamama, and a petition by Avaaz to urge the Ecuador government to immediately reopen the offices of this organization.
In November 2013, Pachamama, together with other organizations, participated in a protest against the bidding process for oil companies in Southeastern Ecuador during the XI Oil Round. Under the accusations of interfering with public policies and threatening the security of the state, it is seen now as a reaction of the government that the organization was shut down. Moreover, Pachamama was not given any time or opportunity to contest the charges or to defend themselves before the closure occurred.
UN human rights bodies and the Inter-American Human Rights system have expressed their concern on the deteriorating Human Rights situation in Ecuador, especially regarding freedom of expression and association, as well as the criminalization of human rights defenders and community leaders in the context of resistance against large-scale extractive projects without free, prior and informed consent. These Human Rights bodies have urgently called upon the Ecuadorian state to fulfill its human rights obligations. Nevertheless, Ecuador has not followed any of their recommendations up until now. In actual fact, the State has been acting towards dramatically scaling down the regional human right system competences.
Pachamama’s shut down is a clear example of Decree 16 opening the door for arbitrary application regardless the due process principle. It facilitates violations of freedom of association crucial for democracy, tool that can be used as a legal weapon against dissenting opinions.