Ecuadorian Soldiers Sentenced for Forced Disappearance of Four Boys
Eleven Ecuadorian soldiers were each sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison for the forced disappearance of four boys last year. Five other soldiers who cooperated received sentences of 2.5 years.
The boys, aged between 11 and 15, were Nehemías Arboleda (15), Steven Medina (11), Ismael Arroyo (15), and Josué Arroyo (14). They were taken by a military patrol in Guayaquil, who forced them to strip, beat them, and left them naked in a desolate area. One boy managed to call his father before they disappeared. Burned remains were found days later near a military base outside Guayaquil.
Seventeen soldiers were on trial in total; a lieutenant-colonel who was not on the patrol was found not guilty. This case occurred amid Ecuador’s crackdown on gangs due to rising crime and the expansion of gang influence.
The court ruled that the four boys, known as The Malvinas Four after their neighborhood, were innocent victims of a state crime. It ordered an official apology to the families, a plaque commemorating the victims, and human rights training for military personnel.
Evidence from cooperating soldiers revealed cruelty by the patrol, including racist insults, beatings, and a simulated execution. Defence lawyers argued the boys were alive when left in the location; however, the judge stated that leaving them in such a dangerous place caused their deaths. The individuals responsible for burning the bodies have not been identified.
