On Monday, December 22, an Ecuadorian court sentenced a group of soldiers to 34 years in prison for the "violent abduction" of four minors. In addition to the prison sentence, the convicts must pay the victims' families a fine of $10,000 each and publicly apologize. This is reported by Associated Press, writes UNN.
Details
The tragedy occurred in December 2024 in Guayaquil. Brothers Ismael and Josue Arroyo, along with friends, were returning from a football match when they were detained by a military patrol. Surveillance camera footage captured the children being forcibly pushed into a military pickup truck.
The military initially claimed that they had released the teenagers, and that they had allegedly been killed by drug traffickers. However, the investigation established the horrific truth:
- The children were secretly taken to a forest near a military base.
- They were beaten with rifle butts and forced to undress.
- After torture, the teenagers, aged 11 to 15, were "brutally executed," and their bodies were attempted to be burned.
A shadow on the president's policy
This case sparked a wave of protests against President Daniel Noboa, who militarized cities to combat crime. Human rights activists emphasize that giving the army police functions has led to extrajudicial killings of civilians.
Today, justice has prevailed. We reaffirm our respect for the law and the verdict rendered
In addition to the sentences, the army is obliged to hold an official ceremony acknowledging the state's guilt and to install a memorial plaque in honor of the deceased children on the territory of the military base. Next year, the convicts will face another trial – directly on charges of murder.
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