Migrant Organization Criticizes
Ecuador's Xenophobic Decree
Quito - A migrant
organization said Friday in a statement that the decree issued by
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to demand Colombian citizens to
prove themselves without judicial record while entering Ecuador is
unconstitutional.
The Jesuit Service of Refugees and Migrants in Ecuador (SJMR)
demanded the resignation of Ecuadorian Interior Minister, Fernando
Bustamante, for his xenophobic declarations against the rights of
the moving people, according to the statement.
Colombians could freely enter Ecuador till the beginning of last
December. However, at present, they must present a certificate of
penal record or the so-called "judicial record", issued by Colombian
police.
The measure, according to Ecuadorian authorities, is to tackle the
instability in the country caused by Colombians.
Under the decree, the judicial record is not requested from minors,
legal refugees, plane passengers, government authorities and members
of international organizations.
The measure has triggered response from Colombia, as its Foreign
Minister Jaime Bermudez said it was discriminatory and stigmatizing
and broke some of the treaties in the Andean Community.
The SJMR considered that it was necessary and urgent for the
government to implement mechanism of migratory regulation, based on
the new Constitution, which promotes the social integration of the
immigrant people and full exercise of their rights.
Colombia and Ecuador have been keeping severe ties since March 1,
2008, when Colombia bombed a rebel camp located in Ecuador without
notice, violating the Ecuadorian sovereignty. |
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