Ecuador: Indigenous Organization Decrees its Own State of Exception in Response to Repression Against the People
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) of Ecuador decreed a state of exception in ancestral territories before the brutality of the security forces and the lack of awareness in understanding the popular nature of social demands.
The measure comes at a time when, in different parts of this South American country, indigenous movements are marching towards Quito against the reforms imposed by the government of President Lenin Moreno, known as “Paquetazo”.
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The Conaie warned that it will apply the indigenous justice system to “military and police who approach indigenous territories” in protest at what they consider “brutality” of the public force in their protests against the government.
The Governing Council of the Conaie explained that it made this decision “at the insistence of the government to advance on our territories with the exploitation of mining, oil and natural assets, destroying living environments and supporting the presence of companies with military forces .”
Decreto Estado de Excepción en territorio indígena del Ecuador ante la brutalidad de las fuerzas militares.
Militares y policías que se acerquen a nuestros territorios serán retenidos y sometidos a justicia indígena.#SomosCONAIE#LaLuchaVaPorqueVa pic.twitter.com/mqAW6RSmrn
— CONAIE (@CONAIE_Ecuador) October 5, 2019
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The Conaie alerted on Saturday in its social networks the arrival of a “strong military contingent” to certain indigenous areas.
Among the measures decreed by President Moreno include the elimination of fuel subsidies, within the framework of a credit agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This elimination resulted in a rise of 1.85 to 2.30 dollars in the price of “extra” gasoline and 1.03 to 2.27 in premium diesel.
Translated by JRE/EF
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American documentary filmmaker and author. He is best known for his work on globalization and capitalism. Moore has been labeled a left-wing documentary filmmaker and left-wing political activist, but he rejects the label "political activist"
