On 19 December 2016, the day that the free trade agreement between the European Union and Ecuador was ratified, the Ecuadoran government called for the dissolution of Acción Ecológica, in application of a decree on the dissolution of NGOs, accusing it of overstepping its mandate by promoting violence among the indigenous Schuar people and denouncing the harmful effects of Ecuador’s mining policies.
FIDH immediately came to the defence of Acción Ecológica by providing legal assistance and mobilising the international community through advocacy and urgent appeals.
" The national and international support for Acción Ecológica helped us win”, said Yvonne Yañez, of Acción Ecológica."
FIDH and Acción Ecológica will continue to support the Shuar community and demand the withdrawal of decrees that persecute Ecuadoran organisations.
See also (in Spanish) Ecuador: Decisión arbitraria de disolución de la ONG Acción Ecológica