CGTN America
Tamara Taraciuk Broner, director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, spoke with CGTN America regarding Ecuador's security crisis in the wake of recent events. These include prison riots, the escape of two key gang leaders, criminal attacks on public universities and a TV station, which have prompted the declaration of a state of emergency citing an "internal armed conflict".
"These images of violence are a blatant demonstration of the escalating problem of insecurity in Ecuador. We have witnessed an enormous increase not only in the homicide rate but also in the rapid deterioration of the violence situation, such as the assault on the TV station and on universities, which had the purpose of terrorizing the population."
"Measures that are solely focused on getting tough on crime without paying attention to the underlying causes of violence are not going to succeed. You need a package of measures that includes sending to jail people who commit crimes and addressing the root causes of violence, as well as paying attention to the need for judicial reform and the fight against impunity for these crimes. Otherwise, you are just giving these gangs a blank check to continue operating in the way they are operating in the country."
The intricacy to understand public information related to the fight against drug-trafficking, has resulted in the emergence of a series of myths and fallacies surrounding the violence derived from the so-called “war against drugs.”
At the Inter-American Dialogue, José Miguel Insulza described the events of September 30, in which Ecuadoran police brought the country to a standstill after they rioted and trapped President Rafael Correa in a Quito hospital for several hours.
How will diplomatic relations between Ecuador and the US be affected after the expulsion of US Ambassador Heather Hodges?
