An Ecuadorean court has delivered a significant ruling, sentencing 11 soldiers to over 34 years in prison for their involvement in the forced disappearance of four boys aged between 11 and 15, who went missing during military operations in Guayaquil last year. The sentences, sought by prosecutors, reflect the gravity of the charges against these soldiers for directly committing the crime.
In addition to the lengthy sentences for the principal offenders, five other soldiers, who cooperated with the investigation, received two and a half years in prison. A lieutenant colonel, accused of complicity but not present during the patrol, was found not guilty.
The boys disappeared in December while in the Las Malvinas neighborhood amid a military offensive targeting organized crime, ordered by President Daniel Noboa. Family members reported that the children had left home to play soccer on the day they vanished. Autopsy results revealed that the children had endured injuries prior to their untimely deaths.
Witnesses have implicated the soldiers in detaining the boys during a nighttime patrol, subsequently subjecting them to violence before abandoning them naked in Taura, a remote and perilous area approximately 30 kilometers south of Guayaquil. Disturbingly, one of the boys managed to call his father from Taura, but by the time he arrived, the children were nowhere to be found. Authorities eventually identified four charred remains discovered in Taura as the missing children.
This case has sparked widespread outrage and highlighted issues related to security operations in Ecuador, where military intervention has become increasingly common in efforts against organized crime. The court’s ruling may serve as a crucial step towards accountability and justice for the victims and their families, underscoring the importance of safeguarding human rights, even amid high-stakes efforts to combat criminal activities.
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