2022 Ecuadorian protests: Difference between revisions

2022 Ecuador protests
National Strike (Paro Nacional)
Closure of Ecuador Highway 35 (Pan-American Highway)
Date	13 June 2022 (2022-06-13) – present
Caused by	Inflation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Economic policies of Guillermo Lasso
Goals	Price reductions
Methods	General strike March on Quito
Parties
Government Armed Forces of Ecuador National Police of Ecuador Municipality of Quito Municipality of Guayaquil Opposition Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) Pueblo Montubio del Ecuador​ Fenocin Feine Frente Popular FUT UNE FEUE FESE CUBE​ FEI Fenabe Anti-governmental protesters
Lead figures
Guillermo Lasso Alfredo Borrero Patricio Carrillo Francisco Jiménez Luis Lara Jaramillo Santiago Guarderas Cynthia Viteri Fernando Villavicencio Leonidas Iza Senaida Yasacama Gary Espinoza Eustaquio Tuala Marlon Vargas​
Casualties
Death(s)	5 protestors
Injuries	55–100 civilians 120+ police officers
Arrested	100+

A series of protests against the economic policies of Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso, triggered by increasing fuel and food prices, began on 13 June 2022. Initiated by and primarily attended by Indigenous activists, in particular the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the protests have since been joined by students and workers who have also been affected by the price increases.

Demands of the CONAIE

The CONAIE released a list of ten demands on June 13, 2022.

1. Reduction and freezing of the prices of fuel: diesel at $1.50 and extra and eco gasoline at $2.10. Abolish Decrees 1158, 1183, 1054, and focus instead on the sectors that need more subsidies: agricultural work, farming, transportation, fishing, etc.
2. Economic relief for more than four million families with a moratorium of no less than one year, renegotiation of private debts with a reduction of interest rates, and the suspension of seizure of assets due to non-payment of those debts.
3. Fair prices on everyday products like milk, rice, bananas, onion, fertilizers, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, etc. No royalty payments for those who plant flowers.
4. Policies and public investment to prevent or avoid job insecurity and the demanding of payment of debts to the IESS.
5. Moratorium on the expansion of the mining and oil industries, comprehensive audits and reparations for the sociological and environmental impacts of these industries, and the repeal of Decrees 95 and 151 on mining.
6. Respect for the twenty-one collective rights provided for in Article 57 of the Constitution: bilingual intercultural education, indigenous justice, prior consultation, and organization and self-determination of indigenous communities.
7. Stopping the privatization of public companies.
8. Policies to control prices and speculative pricing on basic necessities.
9. An urgent budget in the face of shortages in hospitals due to a lack of medical personnel and staff. Guaranteed youth access to higher education and the improvement of infrastructure in primary schools, secondary schools, and universities.
10. Security, protection, and generation of effective public policies to curb crime in the country.

Responses

• Among others, the Japanese, German, Canadian, French, and Swiss embassies sent a joint communique in which they expressed their concern for "the continued, violent disturbance in the country, particularly because it affects fundamental human rights of the citizens." As such, they indicated that they recognize "the right to organize peacefully" and they urged both sides to come together for dialogue toward reconciliation and peace.
• The ONG, Human Rights International, announced the withdraw of their personnel "after they became victims of physical violence, theft, and illegal detention before urging Leonidas Iza to reach "dialogue and respect for the human rights of those who are not participating in the protests and that violence and acts of vandalism do not serve as a sign of a desire to find a conclusion to this crisis."
• President Lasso issued an approximately six-minute, televised statement on 24 June 2022 in which he described the "violence perpetrated by criminals [who have] infiltrated [the movement]," only after having stated that "the real intention of Mr. Iza is the "destabilization of the government."

See Also

• Leonidas Iza - current leader of CONAIE
• 2019 Ecuadorian protests – similarly triggered by a reduction in fuel subsidies
• 2022 Peruvian protests
• 2022 Sri Lankan protests
• 2021–2022 global energy crisis
• Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
• List of protests in the 21st century