Ecuadorian police arrested Iza on June 14 in Cotopaxi. Subsequently, Judge Paola Bedón ordered his immediate release on June 15. | Photo: Twitter @LeonidasIzaSal1
Quito, July 4 (RHC)== The defense of the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), Leonidas Iza, accused in the midst of the judicialization of popular protest for allegedly paralyzing public service, has requested international criminal assistance from the Attorney General's Office to face the process that begins in Quito.
Leonidas Iza's defense has also called to appear, among the witnesses, the head of state, Guillermo Lasso, and the Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, the latter has already sent a sworn report.
According to Conaie's legal team, this responds to the fact that other events took place before Iza was arrested and later released on June 14, while he was leading the National Strike against the Government.
According to the defense team, in addition to the Prosecutor's Office, the Attorney General's Office will also go as private prosecutor and even Petroecuador, a state-owned company which the Court of Justice accepts the bias of its accusation, which, in its criteria, is illegal.
Meanwhile, Conaie announced that it will hold a sit-in in support of Leonidas Iza, during his court appearance at the Latacunga Judicial Complex. According to Conaie, the indigenous leader is unjustly accused by the Government of Guillermo Lasso, who intends, in this way, to criminalize social protest, whose greatest expression was the National Strike which paralyzed the country for almost three weeks until an agreement was reached on June 30.
Ecuadorian police arrested Iza on June 14 in the area of Pastocalle, Cotopaxi province. Subsequently, after a series of illegal movements, Judge Paola Bedón ordered his immediate release on June 15th.
Representatives of Ecuador's indigenous movement had signed on Thursday a peace agreement with the Government of Guillermo Lasso, after 18 days of national strike, after reaching several agreements on priority issues to advance in the dialogue process.
