An Ecuadorian court has delivered landmark sentences against eleven military personnel for the abduction and torture of four children, marking a significant moment in the nation’s ongoing struggle with security forces accountability. The soldiers received 34-year prison terms for the forced disappearance of the victims—brothers Ismael and Josué Arroyo, along with their friends Saúl Arboleda and Steven Medina, aged 11 to 15—whose charred remains were discovered near a Guayaquil military base in December 2024.
The case emerged when the children failed to return from a soccer match in the port city of Guayaquil on December 8, 2024. Security footage later revealed military patrols detaining the children and forcing them into a pickup truck. Initially, the military claimed drug gangs were responsible for the killings, but Judge José Suárez’s investigation determined that soldiers executed the children ‘in a cruel fashion’ after subjecting them to brutal beatings with rifles and forced labor.
The ruling mandates each convicted soldier to pay $10,000 in reparations to the victims’ families and issue public apologies. Additionally, the military must conduct a formal ceremony acknowledging institutional responsibility and install a memorial plaque at the involved base. Five cooperating soldiers received reduced sentences of 2.5 years.
This case occurs amid President Daniel Noboa’s controversial militarization initiative, launched in January 2024 to combat Ecuador’s spiraling drug violence. While homicide rates have tripled since 2021 due to gang conflicts over cocaine smuggling routes, human rights organizations have documented widespread abuses by security forces, including extrajudicial killings and mass arbitrary detentions.
The Defense Ministry stated it would comply with the court’s decision, affirming ‘respect for the law.’ The convicted soldiers will face separate murder trials next year.