As extractive industries such as mining and oil exploration have spread in Ecuador, authorities have cracked down on protesters, according to a new report from Amnesty International.
The report details 24 cases in which activist leaders were arrested on potentially unfounded or arbitrary charges, because they campaigned in opposition to laws on the use of natural resources. The arrests are all related to protests that took place in 2009 and 2010.
Activist leaders face a total of 20 charges of terrorism, 10 charges of sabotage, four charges of blocking roads and one charge of homicide, according to Amnesty International.
Read the report here.