Ecuadoreans concerned about attacks that include Jesuit foundation

Published: 2005-03-18

LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- Ecuadorean and international human rights organizations are expressing concern about recent threats and attacks against journalists, human rights workers and government opponents in the tiny Andean nation. The targets include a Jesuit-run foundation that operates housing and social outreach projects, as well as Jesuit services for refugees and migrants in Ecuador. Retired Archbishop Alberto Luna Tobar of the highland city of Cuenca led a March 15 demonstration calling for respect for democracy in the country. Local media said about 20,000 people turned out for the march. "The government has been incapable of opening up channels for dialogue with its opponents," said Pablo de la Vega, coordinator of the Segundo Montes Human Rights Center in Quito, the nation's capital. The center, founded in 1991 by graduates of Jesuit schools, takes its name from one of the Jesuit priests murdered in El Salvador in 1989.

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