Update about new attacks on political prisoner in Ecuador

We are informed about new attacks by the Ecuadorian state towards Gabriela Gallardo, a Guevarist political prisoner.

According a news alert of Socorro Rojo Nuestra América, “a new episode of institutional violence, harassment and spoliation against our comrade Gabriela Gallardo, Guevarist activist and political prisoner of the Ecuadorian state” has occured.

The statement continues as follows: “In a handwritten note, Gabriela reported the events that took place on Sunday, 30 November, at around 10:30 a.m., when a group of military police and agents from the General Directorate of Intelligence broke into the wing where she is being held to carry out a search.

The operation lasted nearly two hours. During this time, Gabriela and the other people whose cells were searched – without clear or transparent criteria for selection, since they only searched certain cells in the wing – were forced to remain in the courtyard, unable to see or know what was happening inside. This forced confinement constitutes an act of intimidation and a violation of fundamental rights.

At the end of the operation, when she was allowed to return to the wing, Gabriela found that her personal belongings had been thrown on the floor, wet, trampled on and destroyed, in a clear act of cruelty and humiliation.

In addition, during the search, the following items were stolen from her:

– A significant portion of her medication, which is essential to her treatment.

– All bottles of Ensure, a nutritional supplement she consumes due to the poor quality of the food served at the CPL.

– All the supplementary food purchased from the shop or brought in legally during her special diet, for which medical authorisation was arbitrarily suspended several weeks ago without any professional examination or assessment.

– All of her art supplies, brought in with express authorisation: markers, paints, pens, felt-tip pens, pencils and brushes.

– Various personal hygiene and cleaning products: soap, cream, detergent, bleach, mouthwash, washing-up liquid and disinfectants.

– Coffee authorised by her neurosurgeon for daily consumption.

It should be noted that each of these items, foodstuffs, food supplements and materials had official authorisation, was brought in legally and poses no risk to the prison. The removal of these items constitutes a deliberate act of punishment, harassment and institutional violence.

This is not an isolated incident: it is part of a policy of torture and persecution.

This latest violation adds to the long list of abuses suffered by Gabriela Gallardo:

– arbitrary detention,

– inhumane conditions,

– unjustified suspension of her medical diet,

– refusal to give her medication,

– systematic harassment,

– punitive transfers.

The violent raid on 30 November is a new chapter in the Ecuadorian state’s strategy to physically and emotionally break a woman who fights, an activist who refuses to submit and who has made her resistance an example for the peoples of Our America.

WE DEMAND:

– The immediate return of all illegally confiscated items, medication and products.

– The urgent restoration of her special diet and continued access to nutritional supplements.

– An end to harassment and punitive raids.

– Real guarantees for her physical and psychological integrity.

– The immediate release of Gabriela Gallardo, a political prisoner of the Ecuadorian state.

As long as the state persists in its brutality, we will persist in our denunciation.

Gabriela is not alone!

Socorro Rojo Nuestra America“