Ecuador

===Human rights===
{{see also|LGBT rights in Ecuador}}
[[File:Slums of Ecuador Guayaquil.jpg|thumb|230px|Poor class neighborhoods in [[Guayaquil]]]]
A 2003 [[Amnesty International]] report was critical that there were scarce few prosecutions for human rights violations committed by security forces, and those only in police courts, which are not considered impartial or independent. There are allegations that the security forces routinely torture prisoners. There are reports of prisoners having died while in police custody. Sometimes the legal process can be delayed until the suspect can be released after the time limit for detention without trial is exceeded. Prisons are overcrowded and conditions in detention centers are "abominable".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horvitz |first1=Leslie Ann |last2=Catherwood |first2=Christopher |title=Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide |date=2006 |publisher=Infobase |page=137}}</ref>

[[United Nations Human Rights Council|UN's Human Rights Council]]'s (HRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has treated the restrictions on [[freedom of expression]] and efforts to control [[NGO]]s and recommended that Ecuador should stop the criminal sanctions for the expression of opinions, and delay in implementing judicial reforms. Ecuador rejected the recommendation on decriminalization of libel.<ref name=hrw>{{cite book|url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador|title=Ecuador|chapter=World Report 2013: Ecuador |date=10 January 2013|publisher=WORLD REPORT 2013, Human Rights Watch|pages=1–3|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006120738/http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW) former president Correa intimidated journalists and subjected them to "public denunciation and retaliatory litigation". The sentences to journalists  were years of imprisonment and millions of dollars of compensation, even though defendants had been pardoned.<ref name=hrw/> Correa stated he was only seeking a retraction for slanderous statements.<ref>{{cite news|title=Democracy in Ecuador|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/democracy-in-ecuador.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 February 2012|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627001406/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/democracy-in-ecuador.html?_r=0|archive-date=27 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to HRW, Correa's government weakened the [[freedom of press]] and [[Judicial independence|independence of the judicial system]]. In Ecuador's current judicial system, judges are selected in a contest of merits, rather than government appointments. However, the process of selection has been criticized as biased and subjective. In particular, the final interview is said to be given "excessive weighing". Judges and prosecutors that  made decisions in favor of Correa in his lawsuits had received permanent posts, while others with better assessment grades had been rejected.<ref name=hrw/><ref name=Reformahasta2015>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131102052404/http://diariodigitalcentro.com/index.php/455-reforma-judicial-en-ecuador-debe-hacerse-hasta-el-2015 Reforma judicial en Ecuador debe hacerse hasta el 2015], diariodigitalcentro.com</ref>

The laws also forbid articles and media messages that could favor or disfavor some political message or candidate. In the first half of 2012, twenty private TV or radio stations were closed down.<ref name=hrw/> People engaging in public protests against environmental and other issues are prosecuted for "terrorism and sabotage", which may lead to an eight-year prison sentence.<ref name=hrw/>

According to [[Freedom House]], restrictions on the media and civil society have decreased since 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/ecuador |title=Ecuador |publisher=Freedom House |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123142937/http://www.freedomhouse.org:80/country/ecuador |archive-date=23 January 2012 }}</ref> In October 2022, the [[United Nations]] expressed concerns about the dire situation in various detention centers and prisons, and the human rights of those deprived of liberty in Ecuador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ecuador-un-torture-prevention-body-remains-seriously-concerned-prison-crisis|title=Ecuador: UN torture prevention body remains seriously concerned by prison crisis after second visit|accessdate=6 October 2022|website=OHCHR|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006181004/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ecuador-un-torture-prevention-body-remains-seriously-concerned-prison-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref>