MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuador: 48 prison inmates escape, only 5 recaptured

One prisoner died during the incidents at the Esmeraldas jailhouse

Only five of the 48 prison inmates that escaped Monday from the Esmeraldas jailhouse were recaptured later in the day according to sources from Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa's administration quoted by local media.

”On January 14, 2024, in the Centro de Privación de Libertad (CPL) Esmeraldas No.2, a search operation was carried out,“ the government said in a statement. The National Service of Integral Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders [Prisons Bureau - SNAI] reported the recapture of five inmates out of the total of 48 escapees as the country goes through an unprecedented wave of violence and crime.

The authorities also said 1,000 National Police and other 1,000 Armed Forces troops were deployed in the search for the fugitives. An inmate also died during the incidents, it was also reported. ”SNAI ratifies its commitment to security, rehabilitation, and respect for human rights in the National Penitentiary System,” the agency said in a statement.

Last Friday, at least six inmates escaped from the Litoral Penitentiary, Ecuador's largest, while the government reported on Sunday in its latest balance sheet that the Armed Forces and Police captured 1,327 people, including 143 alleged terrorists, and carried out 32 operations against suspected terrorist groups.

The International Network of Women Relatives of Persons Deprived of their Liberty shared a statement from the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) in which they expressed their concern about the situation in the prison system. “We express our deep concern for the situation in the Penitentiary System in the State of Ecuador, as well as the escalation of violence that has affected persons deprived of liberty under the custody of the State, their families, and those who work within the system,” the statement said.

They also criticized “the situation of violence inside prisons, acts of torture, murders, as well as the high levels of corruption and institutional weakening in the country, are a reflection of the lack of a comprehensive criminal policy with a human rights approach, aimed at curbing violence and the general neglect of the criminal justice system.”

In this scenario, Noboa's government needs US$ 1.02 billion to wage its “war” against organized crime. According to Deputy Economy Minister Daniel Falconí, that was the reason for wanting to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 12% to 15%. Noboa declared a state of “internal armed conflict” against organized crime gangs.

The Executive sent last week a bill proposing the adjustment and is now in the hands of the National Assembly (Parliament), which is not expected to be endorsed by the majority opposition Correista bloc.

“This state of war is costing Ecuador a lot, we are making a lot of effort, but it can always be more,” Economy Minister Juan Carlos Vega said. “It is not possible to have such a large enemy with basically unlimited resources,” he added.

Labor unions opposed the VAT hike and suggested a moratorium on foreign debt payments for this year instead.

Meanwhile, representatives of police forces from 16 Latin American countries met online last Friday to discuss ways to help Ecuador come out of the wave of violence it is going through, Agencia Brasil reported.

The Police Community of the Americas (Ameripol) gathering was summoned by Brazilian Federal Police Director General Andrei Rodrigues, who is also the executive secretary of the international organization. Ecuador’s Interior Minister Monica Palencia participated in the encounter.

The representatives approved proposals that include the exchange of intelligence to combat organized crime, the provision of equipment, support in identifying prisoners in the Ecuadorean penitentiary system, and courses on defunding organized crime.

The creation of a Brazilian Federal Police office in Ecuador was also discussed.

Ameripol’s Constitutional Treaty was signed in November last year in Brasília. The organization, whose headquarters are in Bogotá, Colombia, serves as a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the police and security forces across the Americas.