The organization says the case against Perugachi is part of political persecution over his participation in 2025 protests.
On Tuesday, the National Confederation of Peasant, Indigenous and Black Organizations (FENOCIN) announced that it will go to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) to denounce the preventive detention order issued against its president, Guido Perugachi.
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FENOCIN considers the accusation to be part of a “political persecution” against the Indigenous leader over his participation in the September and October 2025 protests against right-wing President Daniel Noboa.
The organization also questioned the conduct of Mery Maza, a judge on the Imbabura Provincial Court of Justice, who did not follow the “intercultural dialogue” protocol provided for proceedings involving members of Indigenous peoples.
His lawyer, Luis Avila, said there are no elements that justify preventive detention and confirmed that they had filed an appeal with the courts.
Una jueza en Ecuador ordenó la captura y prisión preventiva contra Guido Perugachi, presidente de la FENOCIN. ¿Qué hay detrás de esta medida y por qué genera tanta controversia?
La jueza Mery Maza dictó la medida procesal por el presunto delito de paralización de… pic.twitter.com/MrDsS4fSsS
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) August 18, 2026
The text reads, “A judge in Ecuador ordered the arrest and pretrial detention of Guido Perugachi, president of FENOCIN. What’s behind this measure, and why is it generating so much controversy? Judge Mery Maza issued the order for the alleged crime of disrupting public services during the 2025 protests. According to the accusation, the leader allegedly instigated road closures and pressured businesses to shut down.”
Perugachi is an Indigenous leader of the Kichwa Perugachi nationality who belongs to the Perafan community, located in the Andean municipality of Cotacachi. For this reason, Judge Maza ordered that he be held in the prison closest to his community.
FENOCIN also declared “permanent assemblies” in its regional and provincial branches to assess possible actions and protests in response to the judicial decision.
The order against Perugachi was also rejected by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the country’s largest Indigenous organization, which denounced the “criminalization” of social leaders.
Perugachi is being investigated for his alleged participation in the suspension of public services during the 2025 protests, which were centered in the Andean province of Imbabura and were called after the elimination of the diesel subsidy.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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