Express your concern about the continued
harassment, arbitrary arrests/detention, and ill-treatment of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people as documented in a recent Amnesty
International report on Ecuador. Sign this petition today!
Minister of Interior
Dr. Marcelo Merlo Jaramillo
Ministro de Gobierno
Ministerio de Gobierno, Policía
Cultos y Municipalidades
Benalcázar y Espejo
Quito, ECUADOR
Dear Minister Jaramillo:
We are writing to express our serious concern about the continued
harassment, arbitrary arrests/detention, and ill-treatment of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people as documented in a recent Amnesty
International report on Ecuador.
We are particularly concerned about the death threats made against Henry
Rodríguez Lozano, coordinator of the Transgender Department of the Friends
for Life Foundation (Departamento de Transgénero de la Fundación Amigos por
la Vida) in Guayaquil. Henry Rodríguez Lozano was reportedly told by police
officers that he should be shot and thrown in the Perimetral?a ring road in
the city where bodies of people have been found shot dead?for filing
complaints about the ongoing police abuse of transgendered people in
Guayaquil.
The Ecuadorian Constitution establishes that all individuals shall be
considered equal and shall enjoy the same rights and opportunities. In
fact, the Ecuadorian Constitution is one of the few in the world that
explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation?a great
example to the rest of the world.
We urge you to uphold Article 23 (par. 3 and 5) of the Ecuadorian
Constitution. We urge you to investigate all allegations of police abuse of
the LGBT community, make public the results, and bring the perpetrators to
justice.
Sincerely,
