Ecuador activists demand amnesty for anti-government protesters

People in Ecuador have demanded an amnesty granted by the President-elect Lenin Moreno for protesters thrown in prison for showing their opposition in a series of protests.

The confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, known as CONAIE, is leading the fight to demand amnesty for those they say have been jailed for defending human rights.

"I thought jail was for people that steal. We were shocked to see how he was detained, how brutal they were. He is not a thief," said Gabriel Robles, whose sibling Stalin Robles is among the prisoners, serving a six-month sentence for protesting against the government.

Jorge Herrera, the CONAIE's president said "there is a new scenario in Ecuador with the next leader."

"We have developed a strategy, on how to discuss these big issues for the new region through a campaign pointing out criminalisation processes and most of all, an amnesty that has to guarantee freedom of all those processes, so we can all seek a new political scenario in Ecuador," Herrera said.

Activists, lawyers, and citizens have continued to draw attention to cases of imprisonment, hoping their amnesty campaign will hold more weight under Ecuador's new government.

TRT World's Carolina Loza Leon reports from Ecuador's capital Quito.