Margoth Escobar is an Ecuadorian activist for environmental and indigenous rights.[1]
Margoth Escobar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 or 1954 (age 70–71) |
| Nationality | Ecuadorian |
| Occupation(s) | Indigenous rights activist, Environmentalist |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Organization | Provincial Union of Peasant Organizations of Manabi (Unión Provincial de Organizaciones Campesinas de Manabí) |
Personal life
editEscobar is mestizo, and was born in Puyo, Pastaza.[2]
Activism
editEscobar, an Amazonian woman, opposes extraction of natural resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon.[3]
In 1975 Escobar helped create the Provincial Union of Peasant Organizations of Manabi (Unión Provincial de Organizaciones Campesinas de Manabí), which was significant in the recovering the rural lands of several families in Manabí Province.[1]
Judicial harassment
editEscobar was accused of assaulting the director of Belorusneft, Andrey Nikonov, and was summoned by the prosecutor's office in 2014, accused of sabotage and terrorism.[2]
On 13 August 2015, Escobar was beaten and arrested following a general strike and demonstration in Puyo, which had been organized by the union of trade workers and indigenous organizations including Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador – Conaie (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador). The demonstrations called for agrarian reform, better access to health services, opposition to mining development, a free trade agreement with the European Union, and opposition to a proposed amendment of the Constitution of Ecuador that would have allowed President Rafael Correa to be re-elected indefinitely. A judge ruled that she should remain in preventative detention for 30 days, to stop her from disturbing the peace.[4] In December 2015 the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.[2]
Arson attack
editMargoth's home was destroyed by arson[5] on September 29, 2018.[6] The house had been a meeting place for Mujeres Amazónicas,[2] the Amazon Women's collective, of which she is a member.[5] Also known as Colectivo de Mujeres Amazonicas,[6] the largely indigenous group defends the Ecuadorian Amazon.[5]
Other Mujeres Amazónicas members Nema Grefa, Patricia Gualinga, and Salomé Aranda, had also been attacked and threatened,[7] and the group, in conjunction with Amnesty International, collected and delivered over 250,000 signatures to the Attorney General of Ecuador demanding progress in the stalled investigations.[2] The signatures were delivered on 9 March 2015.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "Margoth Escobar". Front Line Defenders. 2 January 2016. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Castro, Mayuri (25 March 2020). "Mujeres amazónicas entregan firmas a la Fiscalía para exigir protección". GK (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Cabrera, José María León (23 April 2019). "Patricia Gualinga, el rostro de la resistencia sarayaku". GK (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Health of human rights defender Margoth Escobar deteriorating in detention". Front Line Defenders. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "Amazon Women attacked for defending their land". Amnesty International Australia. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Margoth Escobar's home attacked". Front Line Defenders. 5 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Ecuador: "They will not stop us" : Justice and protection for Amazonian Women, defenders of the land, territory and environment - Ecuador". Amnesty International. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via reliefweb.
- ^ "Ecuador must adopt policy to protect human rights defenders facing grave risks". www.amnesty.org. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.