• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: Ombudsman’s Life at Risk After Death Threats (Ecuador: UA 22.20)

February 19, 2020

The life and personal integrity of Ombudsman Freddy CarriĆ³n and his family are at risk. He recently received repeated death threats, including a bomb threat at his family’s home on 13 February. Even though he publicly denounced this situation, the Ecuadorian government has failed to protect him and his family. The Ombudsman stated that this is a retaliation for his human rights work during the crisis in October 2019. We call the Attorney General to grant immediate protection to him and his family and to investigate these threats in an immediate, impartial and independent manner.

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Diana Salazar, Attorney General Juan LeĆ³n Mera N19-36 y Av. Patria, Edificio FiscalĆ­a General del Estado, Quito, Ecuador Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Ambassador Ivonne Baki Embassy of Ecuador 2535 15th St NW, Washington DC 20009 Phone: 202 234 7200 Email: [email protected]Twitter: @EmbajadaEcuUSA @ivonnebaki Instagram: @embajadaecuusa @ivonnebaki Salutation: Dear Ambassador

Dear Attorney General, I am writing you in relation to the risk to the life and personal integrity of Ombudsman Freddy CarriĆ³n and his family. This is consequence of the repeated death threats he and his family have received in retaliation to his human rights work. Despite filing a criminal complaint on 6 February, he and his family have not received adequate protection yet. This situation has undermined the work of the Ombudsmanā€™s Office. Under international law, Ecuadorian authorities have the obligation to guarantee a free and safe environment for human rights defenders. I urge you to grant immediate protection to Ombudsman Freddy CarriĆ³n and his family in consultation with them, to investigate these threats in an immediate, impartial and independent manner and to bring those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice. This means also identifying the intellectual perpetrators. Yours sincerely, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES