Holed up inside a walled compound besieged by protesters, ousted President Lucio Gutierrez said his removal from office by Congress violated the constitution, as he waited for Ecuador's new government to let him leave for exile in Brazil.
The Organization of American States decided Friday night to send a high-level diplomatic delegation "as soon as possible" to investigate the situation and help "strengthen democracy."
After a meeting in Washington, the OAS announced its plan in a resolution that avoided explicit recognition of the government of newly sworn-in President Alfredo Palacio.
Gutierrez, seeking asylum in the Brazilian ambassador's residence, lashed out at opponents Friday in his first public comments in three days, a recorded statement broadcast on Ecuadorean television that was apparently intended for supporters. He said Wednesday's congressional vote removing him from office was illegal.
"Through an unconstitutional decision, with 62 votes, and without my having abandoned the post, they have taken me out of the presidency," the ex-army colonel said, urging followers to relay his message across the country.
"I think there has to be justice, respect for democracy, the constitution, and I ask you to make these declarations," he said.
More than 200 protesters blocked the gates of the ambassador's residence Friday night, demanding Gutierrez be tried for abuse of power, corruption and the repression of peaceful protests. Waving flags, they chanted: "They won't move us!"
"He's not getting out of here," said Marta Cecilia Puente, 38, who joined the demonstration with her 11-year-old son. "We'll stay until he's arrested."
When the Brazilian ambassador tried to leave, the crowd mobbed his sports-utility vehicle, banging on the hood and shaking the vehicle as riot police tried to keep them back. Unable to drive past, the vehicle slowly reversed back into the compound.
Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Antonio Parra said the government was in the process of arranging safe passage for Gutierrez, but he didn't specify when. He said it was a "very delicate" matter and "there exists no set timeframe for doing it."
Diplomats said the 34-member OAS had for the first time invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which says the group's Permanent Council may arrange visits to analyze such situations and, if needed, "adopt decisions for the preservation of the democratic system and its strengthening."
Congress justified dismissing Gutierrez under a constitutional clause allowing lawmakers to remove a president for "abandonment of the post," even though he was still in the Government Palace issuing orders. Backers of the measure argued since Gutierrez had not faithfully carried out his responsibilities, Congress should declare the presidency vacant. John Maisto, US ambassador to the OAS, told diplomats in Washington the US was concerned.
"We deplore the deterioration of constitutionality and democratic institutions in Ecuador that culminated in President Lucio Gutierrez's removal from office," Maisto said.
Many protesters criticized the OAS stance, asking why the organization didn't intervene earlier when Gutierrez -- a US ally -- dissolved the Supreme Court, a move they said was a slide toward dictatorship.
"We want the OAS to listen to the voice of the Ecuadorean people," said Margarita Cazar, a 42-year-old psychologist, waving a flag among the protesters.
Outside the president's palace, about 30 protesters demanded Palacio's resignation on Friday. One held a sign saying, "All the politicians are thieves. They all must go."
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
RIVER TRAGEDY: Local fishers and residents helped rescue people after the vessel capsized, while motorbike taxis evacuated some of the injured At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the wooden boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko River on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief in