EMBASSY OF ECUADOR
99 Bank, Suite 230
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6B9
To the Ambassador of Ecuador in Canada – Mr. Diego Stacey Moreno and to the Minister of Political and Economic Affairs, Mrs. Elizabeth Moreano,
On April 11, data privacy and open source advocate Ola Bini was arrested at the Quito International Airport, where he was accused of “conspiring against the state”. As of yet, no formal charges have been made, and Ola continues to be in pretrial detention. eQualitie wants to remind Ecuadorian authorities of their obligations before ratified treaties and international covenants ensuring that detained persons are treated humanely, and are not subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; as well as Article 89 of the Ecuadorian constitution ensuring habeas corpus proceedings. If there is a case to be brought against Ola, the authorities should present it and allow the judicial process to run its course. If not, Ola should be considered innocent until proven guilty, and released from detention.
Respectfully,
The eQualitie team
eQualitie is a Canadian organization developing open and reusable systems with a focus on privacy, resilience and self-determination. Our goal is to create accessible technology to promote and defend human rights on the Internet. Our approach and motivation is described in the eQualitie Manifesto.