• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: DETAINEES STILL AT RISK (Ecuador 36.24)

May 8, 2024

Since at least April 24, 2024, prisons authorities halted the provision of food and medication for detainees in five of the major prisons in Ecuador. On May 2, 2024, a judge ordered the Ministry of Economy and Finance to transfer to the National Service for Integral Attention of People Deprived of Liberty the funds required to restore the supply of food, within 15 days. In the meantime, the families of detainees and charities have been forced to deliver food and medication at their own expense.  We call on the National Service for Integral Attention of People Deprived of Liberty to coordinate with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and to comply in good faith with the judge’s ruling immediately.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 6, 2024

take action:

  • Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  • Click here to let us know the actions you took on Second Urgent Action 36.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

General Luis Eduardo Zaldumbide López 

Director General 

Servicio Nacional de Atención Integral a Personas Adultas Privadas de la Libertad

Orellana E3-62 y 9 de Octubre

Quito – Ecuador

Telephone/Fax: 593-2-3932-520

Email: [email protected]

Ecuadorian Embassy in the United States

Ambassador Mrs. Ivonne A – Baki

2535 15th Street,

NW Washington, DC 20009

Salutation: Your Excellency

sample letter:

Dear Director General Zaldumbide López, 

I continue to be concerned about the situation of detainees in prisons in Ecuador, particularly those in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, and Cotopaxi, which still do not have access to a regular supply of food and medication. Thousands face an imminent risk of acute hunger and other health-related issues. 

International human rights law and standards clearly stipulate that States should guarantee the provision of food and medication to persons under their custody.  

I call on the National Service for Integral Attention of People Deprived of Liberty to coordinate with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and to comply fully with the judge’s ruling and immediately transfer to prison authorities the funds required to restore the supply of food. The rights to food, health, and physical integrity of all detainees in Ecuador must be respected.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: