On Friday, in an act that recalled the classic style of Latin American dictatorships, President Lucio Guriérrez of Ecuador forgot that it was his people who elected him and turned against them. Gutiérrez, faced with massive demonstrations against him, declared a state of emergency. This time, the Ecuadorian people seem to have decided not to accept the authoritarianism of Gutiérrez, a soldier who joined the popular insurrection that overthrew President Jamil Mahuad in 2002. This stage of the conflict has now gone on for two days, and the people are in the streets. The origin of the conflict: Gutiérrez's dissolving of the Supreme Court, which he had already illegally "reorganized" several months earlier

Colonel Gutiérrez, who betrayed his indigenous allies after their joint electoral success in November 2002, has spent just over two years harassing Ecuador's social leaders, the diverse political parties in Congress, and the journalists that have dared to criticize him, as he denounced a report from Amnesty International this March. In the last few months he has provoked new protests against him, not just for having aligned himself with the U.S. government and the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, but also for having "reorganized" the judiciary last December, supported by members of Congress loyal to his administration.

And so, the night of Friday, April 15, Gutiérrez announced on television and radio, from the Carondelet Palace (and after an enormous march against him the same day in Quito), that he would dissolve the Supreme Court of Justice, on which he had illegally placed magistrates loyal to his own interests on December 10. To make this all "legal," the former army colonel released Executive Decree No. 2752 on Friday at 9:30 pm. Among other things, it declared the Quito metropolitan area to be in a state of emergency, suspending several civil rights established in the constitution. But this didn't get Gutiérrez anywhere, because the people took to the streets of the capital once again yesterday, banging on pots and waving banners, to protest the government.

The new de facto dictator (in Ecuador they're talking about a "half-coup") confirms that he has forgotten his own words, spoken a few hours before being elected in November 2002, when he said that in order to rebuild the country it was necessary to work together, and that "our process of dialog will now be more open than ever." But the people understand, and won't get fooled again. Last night, although Gutiérrez decreed an end to the state of emergency, the demonstrations continued in Quito and in Guayaquil. In fact, this morning, it was announced that the protests will continue, with or without repression or human right violations. From Radio La Luna (a community radio station in the capital) calls began to be heard for civil disobedience and protests under the slogan "que se vayan todos" ("out with all of them"), starting with Lucio Gutiérrez.

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2005/4/17/1740/70522

From somewhere in a country called América,

Luis A. Gómez
Acting Publisher
The Narco News Bulletin
http://www.narconews.com

Deaf Ears: Speaker On Support For Mojo Mathers

Scoop Audio: In a press conference this afternoon Speaker Lockwood Smith defended his handling of requests for support for profoundly deaf MP Mojo Mathers' participation in Parliament, and said he was "deeply concerned" by the way the issue had been portrayed.

Earlier today the Greens said they had been told they would have to fund support Mathers requires out of their own budget. More>>