The Assembly of Ecuador approved on Tuesday a law that regulates the legitimate use of force and with which the government intends to confront a violent wave of crime that has plagued the country for months and that has left hundreds of people shot to death.
The law was approved with 104 votes while 19 legislators abstained out of a total of 137. This regulates the use of force by the police, the military in exceptional cases, and prison officers, to guarantee citizen security, especially in situations of violence and conflict.
Regarding the lethal use of force, the rule states that the use of potentially and intentionally lethal force will be exceptional and with the sole purpose of protecting the life and physical integrity of servers or third parties and when less extreme measures are insufficient. to meet such objectives.
The bloc of the indigenous party, Pachakutik, strongly opposed the approval of the law, arguing that it leaves protest and resistance unprotected. However, the legislator Ramiro Narváez, who chaired the Security Commission that prepared the text, ruled out that this could happen.
“We have guaranteed social protest, we are protecting it, we are preventing protesters from being attacked by dogs, by horses or hit by motorcycles, we are guaranteeing social protest… but when there are violent acts, the police have to act,” said Narváez.
After approval by the Assembly, the law passes to less than President Guillermo Lasso, who may approve, deny or modify it.
In the first four months of this year, around 1,300 people had been shot to death by hit men, 66% higher than last year’s figures.
