All Content: Ecuador

Adam discusses challenges facing newly inaugurated President Ollanta Humala in Peru; Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's lawsuit against a newspaper; cuts in U.S. aid to Mexico and other ways that the U.S. Congress is affecting Latin America policy.

The insecurity facing human rights defenders in the Americas has reached alarming levels. The situation was denounced today by 23 NGOs from 11 countries meeting in Washington, D.C. for the 141st period of sessions of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IACHR).

Study reveals alarming pattern in imprisonment for drug crimes in Latin America

In the days after the events of September 30, the Ecuadorian government and its opponents have presented their versions of what occurred and why. The two versions do not differ so much regarding what happened, but there are profound differences regarding who is ultimately responsible.

Ecuador has one of the harshest drug laws in the hemisphere. A non-violent drug offender can receive the same sentence, sometimes even stiffer, than a murderer. This video tells the story of Analia Silva, who started dealing drugs out of poverty but was caught in 2003 and sentenced to 8 years in jail.

Reforms in Ecuador could result in more effective, just and humane national drug control policies, setting an example for the rest of the region.

Ecuador's El Comercio newspaper recently published an op-ed by Coletta Youngers, WOLA's Senior Fellow, on the need to reform Ecuador's current drug law.

In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Washington Office on Latin America expresses serious concerns regarding the pending agreement between the United States and the government of Colombia over the U.S. military’s expanded use of military facilities in that country.