Ecuador: The Case of the 10 from Luluncoto · Global Voices
Daniela Gallardo

Fadua Tapia, Cristina Campaña, Abigaíl Heras, Royce Gómez, Pablo Castro, Santiago Gallegos, Víctor Vinueza, Luis Merchán, Héctor Estupiñán y César Zambrano are the 10 from Luluncoto [es] who were detained on 3 March 2012 in the Sol Rojo [Red Sun] [es] operative. Accused of wanting to threaten the security of the State and of belonging to the Popular Combatants Group [es] (GCP), they lost their freedom when they went to discuss the policies of the government of Ecuador in a house in southern Quito. Police found notebooks, diaries, posters of Che Guevara, [and] newspapers in their possession, considered subversive material.
On 25 July, the Interior Minister [es] reported that the evidence presented by the Prosecutor's Office was sufficient to presume that the accused persons committed the offence.
Fadua Tapia received substitution measures because of her pregnancy; in an interview published by El Mercurio [es] she said that the police did not respect her pregnancy and ordered her to remain face down on the floor. The YouTube channel EcuadorFreeNetwork News Agency [EcuadorLibreRed Agencia de Noticias] [es] published a video with testimonies from relatives of the detainees, where they mention that on April 26, in the early hours of the morning, there were simultaneous forced entries at the houses of the detainees’ families in several cities in the country:
On the Popular Democratic Movement (MPD) webpage [es] it is reported that the date 17 July for the hearing for the criminal charge and the preparation of the trial for the detainees was set late. On 6 December those involved in the Luluncoto case began a hunger strike [es], as a form of protest to demand their release. On December 20, because of the delay in their transfer, seven of the Luluncoto group obtained habeas corpus and regained their liberty [es]. Expreso.ec [es] reported that on January 4, 2013, the First Chamber of the Criminal Magistrate of the National Court of Justice denied the appeal for the enforcement of freedom rights for Abigaíl Heras and Cristina Campaña, that a lower court had previously accepted.
On Facebook, there are support pages for the detainees, like We are not all here the 10 from Luluncoto are missing [es]. On Twitter, under the tag #los10deLuluncoto [es] you can read the reactions of users about the case:
The user Jorch Copy Paste ?! (@amrp24) [es] emphasized the sacrifice of the detainees:
@amrp24: Cuantas HORAS resistes SIN comer Dos? Cinco? Diez?? #AbigailyCristina llevan 552 horas SIN COMER! #10deluluncoto luchan x su libertad!
@amrp24: [es] How many HOURS will you last WITHOUT food Two? Five? Ten?? #AbigailyCristina [es] it's been 552 hours WITHOUT FOOD!#10deluluncoto [es] fight 4 your freedom!
Another point of view, Daniel Solórzano S. (@dani_solorzano) [es] is outraged:
@dani_solorzano: Que aún haya personas que estén en la cárcel por lo que leen es señal inequívoca de que no hemos cambiado. #10deluluncoto
@dani_solorzano: [es] That there are still people who are in jail for what they read is a sure sign that we have not changed. #10deluluncoto  [es]
Meanwhile, Karla Armas (@maka_al) [es] refers to the habeas corpus filed on behalf of two of the detainees:
@maka_al: No es justo que dos mujeres x pensar distinto se les prive de su libertad, fue negado el habeas corpus para abigail y cristina #10deluluncoto
@maka_al: [es] It is not fair that two women are deprived of their freedom for thinking differently, habeas corpus was denied to Abigail and Cristina #10deluluncoto  [es]
The La Hora newspaper (@lahoraecuador) [es] published on their Twitter account a photo of Abigail and Cristina surrounded by police:
@lahoraecuador: Nuestros cuerpos se han debilitado,pero las ganas de luchar por nuestro pueblo se han fortalecido. #10delulucoto http://twitpic.com/bsfcg6
@lahoraecuador[es]: Our bodies have weakened, but the enthusiasm to fight for our people has strengthened. #10delulucoto [es] http://twitpic.com/bsfcg6 [es]
In Vaderetro References, the Youth Rebel Union [La Unión de la Juventud Rebelde] of Brazil; the Argentina Communist Revolutionary Youth [la Juventud Comunista Revolucionaria Argentina]; the Caribbean Youth [Juventud Caribe] and Flavio Suero movements, of the Dominican Republic; the Revolutionary Youth Union of France [la Unión de Juventudes Revolucionarias de Francia] and other collectives from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Spain, Lebanon and Turkey have developed social network campaigns to publicise what the 10 young people of Luluncoto are experiencing.
The www.libertadpresospoliticos.com [es] portal published a letter [es] asking for support for the defense of human rights in the case of the 10 from Luluncoto.
The Regional Foundation for Human Rights Assessment INREDH Ecuador [es], combined with the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission CEDHU [es], and the “Environmental Clinic [es] “Reparation Project produced a report [es] using psychological analysis and human rights tools, which allowed the psychosocial state of the victims and their families to be made clear.