Dear Attorney General,

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who work together to

promote and defend human rights. Our vision is a world in which all people enjoy all human rights

enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international norms. We are

independent from any government, political ideology, economic interest and religious belief.

Throughout 2018, Amnesty International registered a series of attacks and threats in Ecuador

against human rights defenders Patricia Gualinga, Nema Grefa, Salomé Aranda and Margoth

Escobar, members of the Amazonian Women collective.

Despite the fact that these defenders all filed criminal complaints, the Attorney General’s Office

has failed to adequately and effectively investigate these crimes and grant protection measures for

the defenders. This has forced them to risk their lives and that of their families in order to continue

carrying out their legitimate and important work.

As Attorney General of Ecuador, the power and responsibility to end this situation are in your

hands.

For these reasons, we call you to:

Advance in the investigations of the attacks and threats against Patricia Gualinga, Nema

Grefa, Salome Aranda and Margoth Escobar promptly, exhaustively, independently and

impartially.

Investigate the possibility that those attacks could have targeted them for their human

rights work, identify everyone suspected of material or intellectual criminal responsibility,

and bring them to justice.

Design and implement an Investigation Protocol for Crimes against Human Rights

Defenders, in order to strengthen the coordination between mechanisms and authorities in

charge of criminal investigation.

Sincerely,