ECUADOR Alleged civilian shows his injuries to the camera in the form of bruises all over his body. These were reportedly caused by members of the Ecuadorian army, who identified him on the street as a gangster and tried to beat a confession out of him.
Although his specific testimony is not proven, international human rights organizations in Ecuador are carefully monitoring such behavior by state forces. They have pointed out many times that people are being arrested without evidence just because they look like gang members (for example, they have tattoos).
The situation in the country significantly worsened when President Daniel Noboa declared a state of internal armed conflict at the end of January 2024. He designated 22 gangs as terrorist organizations and sent the army into the streets. Unlike police officers, the army is trained to eliminate the enemy and not to work with civilians like the police.
