Killing of Indigenous Leader in Ecuador Demands Thorough Investigation
March 3, 2023 9:27AM EST
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Eduardo Mendúa Opposed State-Backed Oil Operations
Luciana Téllez Chávez
Researcher, Environment and Human Rights
Eduardo Mendúa Facebook: Eduardo Mendúa
Eduardo Mendúa, an A’i Cofán Indigenous leader, was shot dead on February 26 outside his home in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Mendúa was an outspoken opponent of oil drilling in A’i Dureno, an Indigenous A’i Cofán community located on the banks of Aguarico river in the Sucumbíos province, where Ecuador’s government authorized exploration of 30 oil wells.
Mendúa, a father of six children, helped lead the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador, CONAIE), an association of representatives from all Indigenous nations. He organized a group of forest defenders in A’i Dureno that blocked roads to prevent personnel from EP PetroEcuador, Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, from entering A’i Cofán territory. Oil projects have divided the A’i Cofán, a nation of 1,200 people.
The day after Mendúa’s killing, police conducted raids, seized firearms, and took a suspect into custody, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s office. In the statement, the suspect is accused of driving the speedboat the shooters allegedly used to escaped the crime scene. He has been placed in pretrial detention for 30 days. A judge also approved the protective measures requested for Mendúa’s wife and immediate family, which prohibit the suspect from approaching them in the event he was released from custody.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso tweeted that the crime “would not go unpunished”. EP PetroEcuador’s Twitter account retweeted the post; the company did not respond to a request for comment for this publication.
More:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/03/killing-indigenous-leader-ecuador-demands-thorough-investigation
