Ecuador
Refugees in Ecuador: Plan Colombia and the Asylum Lottery
This is the first part in a three-part series on asylum in Ecuador. The series deals with Ecuador’s response to the refugee crisis created by the ongoing conflict in Colombia, the daily challenges of surviving as a refugee in Ecuador, and how refugees are organizing themselves to demand their human rights. […]
New Ecuadorian Constitution Approved by Strong Majority, President Correa Claims “Historic Victory”
Quito, Ecuador—According to exit polls, between 63-70% of Ecuadorians voted to approve a new constitution on Sunday, scoring a major victory for President Rafael Correa. Correa hailed the results, saying that “today Ecuador has decided on a new country.” […]
Ecuador’s Constitution Gives Rights to Nature
Jaguars, spectacled bears, brown-headed spider monkeys, and plate-billed mountain toucans may all just breathe a little easier next week if Ecuadorians approve a new constitution in a referendum on Sunday that would grant these threatened animals’ habitats with inalienable rights. […]
Indigenous Organizations to Support Ecuador’s Constitution
In a lengthy meeting on July 29, Ecuador’s highland Indigenous organization Ecuarunari decided to support in a tepid and tentative manner President Rafael Correa’s project of rewriting the country’s constitution. […]
Wayward Allies: President Rafael Correa and the Ecuadorian Left
Outside of Ecuador, most progressives consider President Rafael Correa to be a Leftist champion of social and economic justice. Inside the country, however, conflicts between Correa and the social movement Left—the indigenous movement, environmentalists and unions, among others—have become increasingly heated. […]
Temporary Relief from Mining Conflicts in Ecuador
Silence in Junín is the sound of rushing water. Rivers cut up and down the wide valleys, and waterfalls crash down the steep mountain faces that shelter the 300 strong community, located in the Intag valley in northwestern Ecuador. […]
Ecuador: CONAIE Indigenous Movement Condemns President Correa
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) declared itself in opposition to the government of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on May 12. CONAIE accused the president of continuing right-wing neoliberal economic and racist social policies.
Indymedia Journalists Targeted in Ecuador
Ecuadorian police detained five journalists associated with Ecuador Indymedia late Tuesday night. Four of the five were released from custody on Wednesday afternoon. The government says that the four activists were detained because of their relationship with the fifth detainee, Ecuadorian resident and Colombian national Antonio Alcívar.