Human rights organizations and activists leveled accusations against Ecuador’s security policies at an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) hearing on Monday, alleging systematic racial profiling and discrimination targeting Afro-Ecuadorian communities, citing a violent police attack on activist Jimmy Ocles as emblematic of the pattern.

In his testimony before the commission, Ocles detailed the assault he endured at the hands of law enforcement.

“They beat me, tore off my shirt, and pressed my neck, preventing me from breathing. They vented their fury on me with violence, while repeating racist insults like ‘he’s a black man’,” he stated. He further warned that judicial delays in Ecuador effectively amount to state impunity and violence.

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Representing the Regional Foundation for Human Rights Advice (Inredh), lawyer Diana León reinforced that Ocles’ experience is not an isolated event, denouncing it as part of a wider pattern of structural discrimination and racial profiling embedded in the country’s security operations.

On the other hand, National Police spokesperson Jorge Arias maintained that institutional policy explicitly forbids racial profiling during police operations.

#NoAlPerfilamientoRacial | Del Testimonio a la Transformación: Justicia Racial para Ecuador

Tras la Audiencia Internacional sobre Impacto de las políticas de seguridad ciudadana, llevada a cabo en el 196° Periodo de Sesiones de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos… pic.twitter.com/cMVFzZkscz

— INREDH (@inredh1) August 3, 2026

Concluding the session, IACHR President Edgar Stuardo Ralón stated that the commission would review all testimonies and evidence submitted by both parties prior to releasing its final observations on Ecuador’s situation.

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