In Dialogue with Ecuador, Experts of the Committee against Torture Praise Health Services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Persons, Ask about the Serious Prison Crisis and the Criminalisation of Torture
The Committee against Torture today concluded its consideration of the eighth periodic report of Ecuador, with Committee Experts praising the State’s strategy for inclusive health services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, and raising questions about the serious prison crisis and the criminalisation of torture in the State party.
Erdogan Iscan, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, praised the approval of a comprehensive care protocol for intersex patients and the implementation of the national strategy for inclusive health services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.
Jorge Contesse, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said Ecuador was facing a serious prison crisis that had exacerbated in the past few years. Between 2018 and 2023, more than 680 deaths had occurred due to prison violence, the highest number in Latin America. Some persons had been decapitated in prison riots. What had been done to prevent prison violence, identify perpetrators of violence, and prosecute them?
Mr. Contesse expressed concern that Ecuador had in January 2024 started using the armed forces to manage prisons and addressed the security crisis in the context of a state of emergency. Officials of the armed forces had reportedly broken the bones of prisoners, provided them with food tainted with urine, and committed acts of sexual abuse. What measures had been adopted to investigate and prevent acts of torture in prisons, and train members of the armed forces on torture?
Concerning the criminalisation of torture, Mr. Contesse said that the Committee had in its former concluding observations called on Ecuador to bring its definition of torture in line with the Convention, but this had yet to be done. Recent legislative reform only amended the crime of torture as a crime against humanity, that is, when torture was committed as part of generalised attacks against a civil population. Would the State party criminalise other acts of torture that did not fall under this definition? How did the State party determine whether torture was a crime against humanity? Would future legal reforms harmonise the definition of torture with that of the Convention? Why had this not happened yet? Were there cases where the Convention had been invoked by a court?
Introducing the report, José Suing, President of the National Court of Justice of Ecuador and head of delegation, said that the Ministry of Women and Human Rights provided specialised support in cases of violations of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, coordinating actions with various public institutions and civil society organizations. The 2022-2025 diversity action plan aimed to improve living conditions and ensure equal rights for this community.
Mr. Suing said that Ecuador’s serious prison crisis was the result of the increase in the prison population, which was caused by expanding organised crime groups. To reduce overcrowding, several Executive Decrees issued from 2018 to 2023 granted presidential pardons for 1,287 detainees. Works and services had been contracted for the improvement of security and prison conditions, with an investment of nine million United States dollars from 2020 to 2024.
The delegation said that in response to the prison crisis, the armed forces had been mobilised temporarily to protect prisons. The armed forces were tasked only with ensuring the physical safety of prisons. They had seized weapons and drugs in prisons and dismantled criminal groups that were extorting inmates. The armed forces received human rights training that addressed the legitimate use of force and respect for the rights of detainees.
On the criminalisation of torture, the delegation said article 89 of the Criminal Code defined crimes against humanity as systematic attacks on a segment of the population. The article could be applied against acts of torture that were committed against a segment of the population, such as inmates. Any persons who carried out acts of torture in situations of armed conflict were punished under the Criminal Code. The Criminal Code defined the crime of torture, addressing both physical and mental torture. Any act of torture could be prosecuted and punished.
In closing remarks, Claude Heller, Committee Chair, said that the dialogue had been very frank, and the Committee appreciated the information that Ecuador had provided on its efforts to comply with its international obligations. Discussions had focused on violence occurring in the country. The Committee aimed to contribute to strengthening the rule of law in Ecuador.
Cristian Espinosa Cañizares, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in concluding remarks, said Ecuador would continue to do its best to implement all human rights treaties, including the Convention against Torture. It looked forward to the Committee’s concluding observations, which would be considered for implementation by the competent authorities.
The delegation of Ecuador consisted of representatives from the National Court of Justice; Ministry of the Interior; National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders; Ministry of National Defence; Embassy of Ecuador in Spain; and the Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue concluding observations on the report of Ecuador at the end of its eightieth session on 26 July. Those and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, and webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Thursday, 11 July at 3 p.m. to continue its examination of the sixth periodic report of the Republic of Korea (CAT/C/KOR/6).
Report
The Committee has before it the eighth periodic report of Ecuador (CAT/C/ECU/8).
Presentation of Report
JOSÉ SUING, President of the National Court of Justice of Ecuador and head of the delegation, said Ecuador was facing a rising tide of violence and criminality that had forced the Government to take measures to protect the population. The serious prison crisis in recent years was the result of the increase in the prison population caused by expanding organised crime groups. In the face of this crisis, the State had enabled the national preventive mechanism to receive complaints of violations of the rights of persons deprived of liberty, compile data and report on violations.
From 2013 to April 2024, the mechanism had made a total of 271 visits to places of deprivation of liberty. Since 2021, 1,779 disciplinary processes had been carried out against employees of the national penitentiary service, including the dismissal of 169 people. At the same time, 1,362 officials had been incorporated into the Prison Security and Surveillance Corps, who had been duly trained. To reduce overcrowding, several Executive Decrees issued from 2018 to 2023 granted presidential pardons for 1,287 detainees. Works and services had been contracted for the improvement of security and prison conditions, with an investment of nine million United States dollars from 2020 to 2024.
A Truth Commission report detailed 118 cases of serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity occurring between 1984 and 2008. These actions affected 464 direct victims. The State had provided victims with physical rehabilitation, psychosocial care, legal advice and representation in legal cases. In addition, symbolic measures had been implemented to preserve the memory of the incidents, and documents on the human rights violations had been archived. To date, 156 victims had been compensated, with an investment of nearly five million United States dollars. Despite budgetary difficulties, the State continued to compensate all the victims identified by the Truth Commission.
Although international human rights instruments were directly applicable and binding in Ecuador, national criminal legislation was harmonised with the Convention against Torture. In addition, guidelines for the application of international human rights standards in pre-trial and criminal investigations related to the crime of torture had been issued by the Attorney General's Office.
The Ministry of Women and Human Rights was responsible for managing protection services for women and the 45 “Violeta Centres”, which offered specialised care to victims of gender-based violence, trafficking and other vulnerable groups. Other important achievements in terms of gender were the adoption of the law on reparation to relatives of victims of femicide, in force since June 2024, and the decriminalisation of abortion in situations of rape for all women. More than 90 abortions had been performed from 2021 to November 2023.
To tackle sexual abuse and violence against children and adolescents in schools, the State had developed a national plan on the creation of protective educational environments and a public policy for the eradication of sexual violence in the educational environment. Protocols had been developed for responding when cases of violence were detected within the national education system. The Ministry of Women and Human Rights provided specialised support in cases of violations of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, coordinating actions with various public institutions and civil society organizations. The 2022-2025 diversity action plan aimed to improve living conditions and ensure equal rights for this community.
To promote non-refoulement and the regularisation of migrants, Ecuador repealed Executive Decree 1182. In addition, access to health and education had been guaranteed to foreigners. Around 130 million dollars had been invested in these free services. Additionally, Ecuador was carrying out an extraordinary regularisation process, which began in August 2022 and would end in 2024, under which more than 97,000 exceptional temporary residence visas had been granted. More than 77,000 refugees had been recognised by the State.
In 2023, the organic law against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants was approved, which introduced measures to protect victims and investigate and prosecute perpetrators. Between 2020 and 2024, Ecuador formed six international agreements to prevent and investigate human trafficking, including with Peru, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia and international organizations. It also updated the action plan against trafficking in persons; dismantled trafficking gangs; strengthened the case registration system; and prepared protocols and guides for the prevention, care and protection of victims of trafficking crimes.
The Ecuadorian delegation aspired to maintain an interactive, constructive and transparent dialogue with the Committee.
Questions by Committee Experts
JORGE CONTESSE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said that the Committee had in its former concluding observations called on the State party to fully criminalise torture, but this had yet to be done. Current legislation criminalised only “crimes against humanity” that were generalised attacks against the civil population. Would future legal reforms harmonise the definition of torture with that of the Convention? Were there cases where the Convention had been invoked by a court?
The Committee noted the recognition of certain rights of persons deprived of liberty and the creation of the National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders. Ecuador was facing a serious prison crisis that had exacerbated in the past few years. Between 2018 and 2023, more than 680 deaths had occurred due to prison violence, the highest number in Latin America. Some persons had been decapitated in prison riots. What had been done to prevent prison violence, identify perpetrators of violence, and prosecute them? Had criminal investigations been opened in this regard?
The Committee was concerned that the State party had in January 2024 started using the armed forces to manage prisons in the context of the state of emergency. Officials of the armed forces had reportedly broken the bones of prisoners, provided them with food tainted with urine, and committed acts of sexual abuse. There were also reports of prison deaths occurring due to violence by armed forces personnel and malnutrition. What measures had been adopted to investigate and prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in prisons, and train members of the armed forces on torture? What accountability mechanisms were in place? Penitentiaries were reportedly 70 per cent under-staffed. What was the current budget for the national penitentiary service?
Free legal assistance services were available for persons deprived of liberty. How many detainees had used these services? How many public defenders were specialised in gender-based violence, and what training programmes were available for public offenders? How many investigations and court proceedings had been carried out regarding violations of the rights of prisoners? How would the national preventive mechanism investigate complaints of abuse and support prisoners to access health care?
What measures were in place to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and protect civil servants working to combat organised crime? Between 2022 and 2023, four prosecutors were murdered and several members of the judiciary were subjected to intimidation and threats. Criminal organizations had allegedly paid bribes to at least 19 judges to grant legal favours to members of organised crime and their families. What measures were in place to investigate acts of corruption within the judiciary?
The 2018 law on combatting violence against women represented significant progress. However, violence against women remained a serious problem in Ecuador. Around six out of 10 women had experienced gender-based violence, while 64 per cent of victims dropped complaints of sexual violence, including to avoid being revictimized in the judicial process. There were no public policies on the protection of women in prisons and in conflict situations. There were more than 52,000 complaints of sexual abuse against children over the reporting period, but only around 2,500 led to sentencing. At least 184 children were abused in Ecuador every day; eight every hour. Between January 2014 and April 2024, there were 972 pregnancies caused by sexual violence in the educational context. Twelve girls under 14 fell pregnant every day in Ecuador in 2022. What measures were in place to prevent the rape of minors and pregnancies, and prevent impunity for persons who sexually abused children?
The Committee welcomed the 2018 law to combat trafficking in persons. There were reports of a lack of proper training for the judiciary on trafficking, and of violations of the principle of non-refoulement by Ecuador through extraditions of migrants. The Committee called on the State party to review laws allowing for the extradition of survivors of torture, trafficking and sexual exploitation. Transnational acts of torture could only be investigated by the State if they were deemed to be crimes against humanity. The Committee urged the State to allow for the investigation of all transnational acts of torture and not apply the statute of limitations for such crimes. The State party also needed to make torture an extraditable offence.
ERDOGAN ISCAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, expressed condolences to those who lost their lives in landslides in Ecuador last month. The eighth periodic report was submitted in 2020, almost four years ago. The Committee needed to be updated on the recent progress made. The Committee commended the State party for having ratified all the core international human rights treaties; having extended a standing invitation to United Nations Special Procedures; having cooperated with the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture during its visit in 2022; and having supported 95 per cent of the recommendations raised during the Universal Periodic Review in 2022.
Ecuador needed to develop a legislative framework for countering terrorism that complied with the absolute prohibition of torture. Was the National Comprehensive Security Plan 2019-2030 still in effect? Did it refer to international human rights frameworks on countering terrorism? How did the State party ensure that anti-terrorism legislation did not restrict rights protected by the Convention? Did state of emergency measures comply with the absolute prohibition of torture? Had there been allegations in this regard that were independently investigated?
What progress had been made to amend legislation regarding interrogation and custody reviews? How frequently were reviews conducted? The prison population had risen from around 25,000 in 2013 to close to 33,000 in 2024, due to the punitive criminal prison policy and excessive use of pre-trial detention. There was no strict separation of pre-trial detainees and convicted persons and there were reports of a lack of access to family visits and health care, and invasive searches of female detainees. What measures were in place to address prison overcrowding?
Was the State party using electronic surveillance devices? Violence had not diminished after the armed forces took control of prisons in January 2024. Reports indicated significant delays in identifying the bodies of deceased persons in custody, and lack of information provided to relatives on the whereabouts of victims. What measures were in place to provide families of victims with reparations?
Were all complaints of torture promptly and impartially investigated? Was statistical data on such complaints collected? Had there been any legislation developed in this regard since 2020? Had the Istanbul Protocol and the Mendez Principles been incorporated in training protocols and were they observed in practice? Did the Public Prosecutor’s Office have the authority to conduct ex officio investigations in alleged cases of torture? Were alleged perpetrators automatically relieved of their duties? Would the State party allow for the publication of the reports of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture on its visits in 2014 and 2022?
What laws were in place regarding excessive use of force? Had there been allegations of excessive use of force against protestors in recent years? What investigations had been carried out? Did the State party ensure that the use of tasers complied with the principles of necessity and proportionality?
What measures were in place to prevent acts of violence committed against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as conversion therapies? Women and girls who were victims of rape could only obtain abortions up to 12 weeks of gestation, and only when they had lodged a criminal complaint. There were concerns that the criminal process revictimised women, and that abortion in cases of incest and foetal malformation continued to be criminalised. Did the State party plan to revise current legislation to address these concerns?
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2023 praised the approval of a comprehensive care protocol for intersex patients and the implementation of the national strategy for inclusive health services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. The creation in 2022 of the Ministry of Women and Human Rights, which sought to prevent violence against women, was also a progressive step. What other steps had been taken to address violence against women?
One Committee Expert welcomed the recent initiative by the Judicial Council to reform criminal justice for minors and install a system of restorative justice.
Other Committee Experts asked about the current number of juvenile detainees; alternatives to detention available to juveniles and how such alternatives were monitored; complaints mechanisms available in juvenile detention centres; training offered to prison staff on the rehabilitation of minors; measures to improve material conditions in detention centres and prevent violence among children in detention; and measures taken to improve access to birth registration in the State party.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Ecuador was grappling with organised crime, seeking to secure better conditions for its citizens, including persons deprived of liberty. Serious pressure had been placed on the law enforcement sector and the prison system by organised crime. Ecuador was committed to addressing past human rights violations and preventing repetition. Progress had been made in many areas. Civil society was participating in improving conditions in the State.
Questions by Committee Experts
JORGE CONTESSE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said that Ecuador had implemented requisites for Venezuelan migrants to submit applications for asylum and migratory status that were not required for other migrants. What measures were in place to facilitate access to asylum and regularisation for Venezuelan migrants?
Mr. Contesse called on the State party to ensure that the state of emergency would be implemented as an exceptional measure only, rather than a permanent measure. A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court called into question whether the current situation warranted a state of emergency on the grounds of an “internal armed conflict”. Did the State believe that it was at war?
ERDOGAN ISCAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked if the delegation could provide information on redress provided to the families of victims of historic human rights violations. The total number of victims documented in the Truth Commission’s 2020 report was 459, but less than half of those victims were recognised by the Human Rights Secretariat. Sentences had reportedly been handed down in only two per cent of cases. What was the State’s position on these issues? Were there any specialised rehabilitation programmes that assisted torture victims?
Had the use of cage beds been rendered inadmissible in psychiatric institutions? Did the Ombudsman’s Office and non-governmental organizations have access to these institutions to conduct monitoring? The mental health care system remained underdeveloped, and the number of mental health professionals was low. How was the State party addressing this?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said article 89 of the Criminal Code defined crimes against humanity as systematic attacks on a segment of the population. The article could be applied against acts of torture that were committed against a segment of the population, such as inmates. Any persons who carried out acts of torture in situations of armed conflict were punished under the Criminal Code. The Criminal Code defined the crime of torture, addressing both physical and mental torture. Any act of torture could be prosecuted and punished. When the perpetrator was a civil servant or a person acting at the behest of a public servant, the crime was punished with up to 13 years imprisonment, as opposed to up to seven years imprisonment for other persons.
The Attorney General’s Office had published guidelines on respect for international standards in investigations into acts of torture. All international human rights treaties were directly applicable in Ecuador, prevailing over national standards. There was no statute of limitations for the crime of torture, as evidenced by the prosecution of historic crimes of torture.
Members of organised crime had attempted to hamper the operations of the judiciary. Guidelines had been developed on the protection of members of the judiciary whose security was at risk. There had been more than 300 requests for protection. Members of the judiciary were authorised to work remotely for their own protection, using electronic case management systems.
Around 169 members of the judiciary had been removed from their posts under suspicion of corruption, with some trials underway. A free hotline and web form for reporting acts of corruption had been established. Judges were independent from other bodies of the judiciary and State authorities. Rulings could be appealed only through appeal mechanisms. A protocol had been developed on dialogue between ordinary and indigenous justice bodies. The Government promoted harmonious cooperation between these systems and respected relevant international treaties on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Various training activities had been carried out for public officials on the Istanbul Protocol and the Minnesota Protocol, the legitimate use of force in prison settings, prevention of gender-based violence, femicide, human trafficking, and the prohibition of torture. The armed forces received human rights training that addressed the legitimate use of force and respect for the rights of detainees. They were coordinating with other State institutions to develop training on the national preventive mechanism and respect for persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
There was an increasing level of violence in Ecuador, with many criminal leaders having been able to escape from prison. The Ombudsperson’s Office had reported that many prisons were controlled by armed groups and the prison system had collapsed. Leaders of armed groups were extorting inmates and forcing them to participate in drug trafficking. In response to this, the armed forces had been mobilised temporarily to protect prisons. The armed forces were not responsible for the administration of prisons; they were tasked only with ensuring the physical safety of prisons. They had seized weapons and drugs in prisons and dismantled criminal groups that were extorting inmates.
The Government had in May 2024 set up a committee to supervise prisons and carry out investigations into all complaints of human rights abuses committed by military personnel. The committee was able to carry out unannounced visits to places of deprivation of liberty. In some prisons, daily inspections were carried out. Public servants who were accused of human rights abuses in prisons could be removed from their posts. Of the 97 complaints lodged regarding human rights violations, the State had found 12 per cent of cases in favour of detainees.
Prisons had been established exclusively for older persons and for women. Regulations had been developed on prison conditions for children living with mothers who were deprived of liberty. The Ministry of Justice was developing a care protocol for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons deprived of liberty. The State party had developed sports and cultural programmes and educational programmes for prisoners. The State had a decentralised healthcare model for prisons. Persons deprived of liberty enjoyed the same health rights as other citizens.
The International Committee of the Red Cross could carry out visits to detention centres. The national preventive mechanism had carried out 271 visits to places of detention over the reporting period. The annual budget for the National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders had increased in recent years to over 200 million United States dollars.
The State party guaranteed the right to an attorney from the moment a person was detained. Persons who did not have the means to hire an attorney were appointed a public defender. All juveniles, including offenders, could benefit from free legal assistance. Members of the public defence service received training on human rights. Over 1,600 public defenders had been certified. This year, 240 persons deprived of liberty had received assistance from public defenders.
A new Constitution was established in 2008, which allowed for states of emergency to be implemented in response to severe internal turmoil. Armed groups, which had significant funding and transnational reach, had threatened the State and its institutions in a coordinated manner, which warranted the imposition of the state of emergency. States of emergency had been declared to address the prison crisis from 2019 to 2021, while the states of emergency declared in 2024 addressed threats to the security situation in general. These had been declared as constitutional by the Constitutional Court.
In July 2024, a new state of emergency was enacted that was limited to specific parts of the country, addressing armed conflict in those regions. The President was responsible for determining threats to State sovereignty that required the imposition of a state of emergency. Based on international norms, States had the authority to expel foreigners who were a threat to the nation.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
JORGE CONTESSE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked why the Government was not pushing to change the definition of torture in its legislation. Reforms needed to be implemented to ensure that torture was governed by universal jurisdiction. How many disciplinary proceedings had been undertaken related to crimes of torture, how many sanctions had been issued, and how many cases had been dropped?
The delegation failed to mention the Constitutional Court ruling of May 2024, which declared the state of emergency on the grounds of “internal armed conflict” as unconstitutional. The situation in Ecuador was extremely serious, but it was questionable whether the country was in a “state of war” requiring an ongoing state of emergency on the grounds of “internal armed conflict”. Why was the Government persisting with the state of emergency in this context?
Did the State party have a comprehensive plan for resolving the prison crisis? There were reports that rules concerning detainees’ rights in the first hours of deprivation of liberty were not being respected in some cases. Some detainees were reportedly not given access to lawyers or medical examinations or notified of their rights. How was the State party addressing this? What efforts had been made to implement legislation on violence against women?
ERDOGAN ISCAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, called on Ecuador to consider providing voluntary contributions to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and to call on other States to make contributions. What legislation was in place regarding solitary confinement? Had solitary confinement been abolished for juveniles? Was an incommunicado detention regime maintained in the State party, and what State organ authorised such detention? Had there been any allegations of confessions being extracted through torture and what were the outcomes of investigations into such allegations? There were claims that legislation on the activities of non-governmental organizations constituted State interventionism. How did the State party respond to these claims?
Ecuador needed to respect international norms, including the Convention, as it combatted organised crime and terrorism. The prohibition of torture was a fundamental right that could not be derogated from, including in states of emergency. The State party needed to respect these principles and the fundamental rights of persons deprived of liberty.
Other Committee Experts asked questions on the consequences of declaring a non-international armed conflict on the powers of the armed forces, especially regarding the use of force, and on detainees’ rights to a trial; and whether detainees could be held until the end of the conflict in such cases.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said efforts had been made to clarify the scope of universal jurisdiction and the statute of limitations for the crime of torture. No draft bills had been developed thus far on harmonising indigenous and ordinary justice systems, but there were plans to develop one.
There had been no mentions of “war” in statements by the Government or court rulings. The State was currently facing a non-international armed conflict. Ecuador was taking security measures in response to an unprecedented spike in armed violence. The Constitutional Court in its May 2024 ruling had stated that the State party had not met the standard of proof to justify the state of emergency. In response, the State party had revised the extent of the state of emergency in July. The Constitutional Court had yet to rule on the revised state of emergency. International human rights law, including the Mandela Rules, was fully respected in states of emergency.
The State party had a comprehensive plan to resolve the prison crisis that had been published online. The National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders was responsible for developing this plan. Censuses had been conducted in prisons to assess the situation. The State party was engaged in efforts to renovate prisons damaged in riots and was building two new high security prisons. It had held working meetings with experts to develop security standards and was establishing agreements with non-governmental organizations to promote the social rehabilitation of detainees. The provision of food to prisons was never stopped during the state of emergency.
Ecuador did not have an incommunicado detention regime. The Government had taken note of complaints raised by the Committee regarding detainees who were not given access to lawyers. It had not received such complaints directly.
Concluding Remarks
CLAUDE HELLER, Committee Chair, said that the Committee would, based on the dialogue, identify priority topics that the State party could address within a year. The Committee’s Follow-Up Rapporteur would assess how the State party had implemented these recommendations. The dialogue had been very frank, and the Committee appreciated the information that Ecuador had provided on its efforts to comply with its international obligations. Discussions had focused on violence occurring in the country. The Committee aimed to contribute to strengthening the rule of law in Ecuador.
CRISTIAN ESPINOSA CAÑIZARES, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations Office at Geneva, thanked the Committee for the dialogue. Ecuador would continue to do its best to implement all human rights treaties, including the Convention against Torture. It looked forward to the Committee’s concluding observations, which would be considered for implementation by the competent authorities. He wished the Committee all the best for its work in the current session and beyond.
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