Latin America Advisor 2024-06-28 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

December 12, 9926

Where is Noboa’s Crackdown in Ecuador Headed?

Under Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa’s aggressive new security policies, crime rates have plummeted, but allegations of human rights abuses have proliferated. // File Photo: Ecuadorean Government.

Q

Ecuadorean soldiers have physically abused and tortured prisoners at the country’s Latacunga prison amid the government’s ongoing security crackdown, Insight Crime reported on June 7, echoing allegations of serious violations by multiple human rights organizations. Four months into President Daniel Noboa’s aggressive new security policy, crime rates have plummeted, and, on May 22, the president declared his government is advancing to the “next stage” of the crackdown, issuing a new state of exception suspending civil liberties in seven of the country’s 24 provinces. How effective have Noboa’s security policies been in the last four months, and is the decline in crime rates a sustainable accomplishment? How serious are reports from human rights organizations and the media about the abuse of suspected gang members? What are Noboa’s most significant policies in this “next stage,” and will reports of abuse undermine the popularity or effectiveness of his security strategy?

A

Maria Velez de Berliner, chief strategy officer at RTG-Red Team Group, Inc.: “Noboa’s policies are successful in the short run, but problematic, if not illegal, in the long run. Ecuadoreans want peace, safety and security at any cost. They are willing to accept human rights violations, extra-judicial killings and death threats (‘boleteo’) for as long as those are not against their families or close associates. We can expect more reports of violations of human rights regardless of what non-governmental organizations and social media claim. The state of emergency called by Noboa for Guayas, El Oro, Santa Elena, Manabí, Sucumbios and Azuay will expire on July 22. We can expect Noboa to extend it. He might include other provinces or regions within provinces. Upon this volatile landscape, we cannot overlook that there will be…”

Top News

Argentina’s Lower House Approves Milei’s Reforms

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Guatemalan Court Revokes House Arrest for Critic

An appeals court in Guatemala revoked a judge’s order granting famed journalist José Rubén Zamora, a longtime government critic, house arrest.

Former Honduran President Sentenced in U.S. Federal Court

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced Wednesday in a U.S. federal court in New York to 45 years in prison for colluding with bribe-paying drug traffickers during his time as President. // File Photo: Honduran Government.

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Diego Arria
Director,
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Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
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Joyce Chang
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Peter Hakim
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Jon E. Huenemann
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James R. Jones
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Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
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Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
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John Maisto
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US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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