ECUADOR
CASE N° EC/02 - JAIME RICAURTE HURTADO GONZÁLEZ
CASE N° EC/03 - PABLO VICENTE TAPIA FARINANGO |
Resolution adopted unanimously by the IPU Governing Council at its 186th session
(Bangkok, 1 April 2010)
The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Referring to the case of Mr. Jaime Ricaurte Hurtado González and Mr. Pablo Vicente Tapia Farinango, a member and substitute member respectively of the National Congress of Ecuador, who were murdered in broad daylight in the centre of Quito on 17 February 1999 along with a legislative assistant, Mr. Wellington Borja Nazareno, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/186/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 185th session (October 2009),
Taking into account the communication of the President of the Ecuadorian National Assembly of 24 March 2010,
Recalling the following:
- The Special Commission of Inquiry (CEI) set up immediately after the murder to help elucidate the crime has from the outset sharply criticized the conduct of the investigation and the prosecution authorities, including their scant consideration of the serious leads it has presented linking Mr. Hurtado's murder to his uncovering of a web of corruption involving high-profile figures;
- Two culprits, Mr. Contreras and Mr. Ponce, have each been sentenced at final instance to 16‑year prison sentences which they are serving;
- Prime suspect Mr. Washington Aguirre was arrested in the United States of America in January 2009,
Noting that, according to the latest communication of the President of the National Assembly, despite repeated requests from the Ecuadorian authorities, it has not yet been possible to extradite Mr. Aguirre to Ecuador, a matter which remains a priority for the Ecuadorian authorities; on 17 March 2010, the President of the National Court of Justice of Ecuador, after being informed of the detention in Colombia of another suspect in this case, namely Mr. Henry Willberth Gil Ayerve, set in motion a request for extradition through the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador,
Bearing in mind existing extradition treaties between Ecuador and the United States of America, and between Ecuador and Colombia,
- Thanks the President of the National Assembly for the information he provided and for his cooperation;
- Reaffirms its belief that trial proceedings against Mr. Aguirre and Mr. Gil are essential to the pursuit of truth and justice in this case since they would provide a critical opportunity to give due consideration to the work of the CEI; stresses in this respect that the CEI's findings have not only revealed serious contradictions and omissions in the conduct of the competent authorities in this case, but also offer substantive leads for an alternative line of inquiry, enabling the authorities to identify the instigators of the crime and the motive for the murder;
- Trusts that their extradition process is proceeding with the utmost urgency so that both suspects can soon stand trial in Ecuador;
- Requests the Secretary General to inform the competent authorities of the United States of America and Colombia of its work on this case, and to seek from them further details of the extradition processes in question, particularly with respect to their swift conclusion; also requests the Secretary General to inform the Ecuadorian authorities and the source of this resolution;
- Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 123rd IPU Assembly (October 2010).
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