Prison violence revives the human rights debate in Ecuador

The deterioration of living conditions, the absence of public policies and the growing number of deaths in prisons have placed the Ecuadorian state at the center of the complaints. 

The crisis of violence affecting prison populations in Ecuador has revived the discussion about the state of human rights in that country. The persistent death rates in Ecuadorian prisons denounced by humanitarian organizations represent one of many focuses of debate on rights violations. Recently, a coalition of human rights organizations once again denounced the “massacre” at the so-called Penitenciaría del Litoral (Litoral Penitentiary), the scene of a crisis that has been gradually unfolding since 2024. In a document released this week, they reported the deaths of almost 400 people in that facility from causes related to food and health. A new warning about a crisis with a long history.

The constant deterioration in the living conditions of the prison population is one of the points most frequently raised by the human rights organizations that released the document. Between July and August, at the Litoral prison, the organizations reported an average of 100 deaths per month. They also denounced the inaction of the Ecuadorian state which, although aware of this situation, has not created mechanisms to reverse it.

 Weeks earlier, the United Nations Human Rights office had called on Ecuador to carry out an immediate “comprehensive reform” of its prison system. At that time, the warning concerned the deaths of more than 30 people held at the Machala Detention Center, in the El Oro region. 

In January of this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) referred to the deteriorating conditions in Ecuador's prisons. In a statement issued from the U.S., the organization reiterated its “concern” about the episodes of violence reported in this Latin American country (exemplified by the aforementioned case of the Litoral Penitentiary). The document cited the incident that occurred in December 2024, when grenades exploded inside the facility. Prior to this, in November of that year, the deaths of 15 inmates had also been reported, as acknowledged and denounced by the IACHR.

The inter-American body pointed to the lack of strict controls in these facilities to guarantee peace within the prisons, combined with the interference of organized crime, as among the triggers of such episodes. The IACHR also stressed that the state must develop public security policies that, in critical scenarios, prioritize a human rights perspective.

The scenario was similar in 2022, when it drew national attention following the deaths of more than 44 people at the Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Prison in May of that year. Amnesty International spoke out about that episode, denouncing the structural deterioration in terms of overcrowding, corruption in the prison control structures and the impunity of the crimes. At that time, the massacre was also linked to clashes between criminal gangs. From 2020 to 2022, AI had recorded the deaths of some 390 people inside the country's prisons. 

Added to this is a new current controversy, following the Government's recent refusal to allow Ombudsman César Córdova to visit the Cárcel del Encuentro, a maximum-security prison, in order to monitor and guarantee the rights of the population. Córdova requested the visit to check the conditions in which inmates are held. 

Institutional violence in Ecuador

The deterioration of life inside Ecuador's prisons comes in tandem with repeated allegations of institutional violence in security matters outside them. In September of this year, Amnesty International criticized how the militarization of the country's internal security has led to human rights violations. Specifically, AI has denounced cases of enforced disappearances of people in the context of security operations.

The so-called “Plan Fénix” (Phoenix Plan) implemented by Ecuador's national government, according to Amnesty's warning, contributed to actions by the armed forces that violated human rights. According to investigations, some 10 disappearances occurred in 2024 in the context of 5 security operations. Since 2023, complaints have been filed over the alleged enforced disappearance of more than 40 people.  

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) denounced this situation and reiterated that since 2024 it had been denouncing “cruel and inhuman” treatment in the country's prisons. In statements on the crisis at the Litoral Penitentiary, it has denounced problems such as cases of tuberculosis and other diseases. It has also pointed out that, following the declaration of prison facilities as a “security zone,” which enabled the deployment of the Armed Forces in this area, the increase in conflict was notable at the Litoral prison. 

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia