National Police of Ecuador
Encyclopedia
The National Police of Ecuador is the national police force and the main civil law enforcement agency of Ecuador
.
has consistently identified major human rights abuses by Ecuadorian security forces, including: isolated unlawful killings and use of excessive force by security forces, sometimes with impunity
; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention
; corruption and other abuses by security forces; a high number of pretrial detainees; and corruption and denial of due process within the judicial system. Members of the National Police have been accused of murder, attempted murder, rape, extortion, kidnappings, and alien smuggling.
released by WikiLeaks
and published by El País in April 2011, U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges
said that "corruption among Ecuadorian National Police officers is widespread and well-known" and that "U.S. investors are reluctant to risk their resources in Ecuador knowing that they could be targeted by corrupt law enforcement officials." The leaked cable resulted in a major diplomatic spat, resulting in the expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Hodges from Ecuador and the reciprocal expulsion of Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Gallegos from the U.S.
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
Human rights
The United States' Country Reports on Human Rights PracticesUnited States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are publications on the annual human right conditions in countries and regions outside the United States, submitted annually by the United States Department of State to the United States Congress. The reports cover internationally recognized individual,...
has consistently identified major human rights abuses by Ecuadorian security forces, including: isolated unlawful killings and use of excessive force by security forces, sometimes with impunity
Impunity
Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress...
; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention
Arbitrary arrest and detention
Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law...
; corruption and other abuses by security forces; a high number of pretrial detainees; and corruption and denial of due process within the judicial system. Members of the National Police have been accused of murder, attempted murder, rape, extortion, kidnappings, and alien smuggling.
Cablegate
In a 2009 diplomatic cable from the United States diplomatic cables leakUnited States diplomatic cables leak
The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began in February 2010 when WikiLeaks—a non-profit organization that publishes submissions from anonymous whistleblowers—began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates,...
released by WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
and published by El País in April 2011, U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges
Heather M. Hodges
Heather M. Hodges is a career United States foreign service officer and ambassador. She was the United States Ambassador to Ecuador and a previous ambassador to Moldova.- Biography :...
said that "corruption among Ecuadorian National Police officers is widespread and well-known" and that "U.S. investors are reluctant to risk their resources in Ecuador knowing that they could be targeted by corrupt law enforcement officials." The leaked cable resulted in a major diplomatic spat, resulting in the expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Hodges from Ecuador and the reciprocal expulsion of Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Gallegos from the U.S.