8 April 2026. The independent experts called for an end to all persecution, criminalisation and reprisals against Indigenous defenders and Peoples in Ecuador. The joint statement was issued by the Special Rapporteurs on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, on human rights defenders, and on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.
The triple planetary crisis requires solutions grounded in justice and the rights of Nature, like those spearheaded by Indigenous Peoples. But in Ecuador, these essential protectors are facing excessive force – at times lethal – during protests, arbitrary detentions on terrorism charges, and frozen bank accounts for themselves and their organisations.
Meanwhile, extractive projects are proceeding in Indigenous territories without free, prior and informed consent.
The United Nations Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples listened to testimonies of these violations during an academic conference on just transition and Indigenous Peoples, organised in March 2026 by FIDH and its member organisation Acción Ecológica at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in Quito. He then undertook visits to Indigenous Peoples across the country that informed the Special Procedures’ assessment.
Moreover, FIDH and nine other international organisations carried out a solidarity and fact-finding mission to Ecuador from 2 to 5 March. That visit also confirmed the serious vulnerability faced by human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, rural communities and communities of African descent. A report will be published in the coming months.
FIDH and its member organisations will continue calling on Ecuador to uphold international standards and carry out full investigations into these violations. We stand with the defenders who protect our rights in the face of ever-increasing pressure.