A court in Ecuador sentenced 11 soldiers to 34 years for their role in abusing and abandoning four boys from Guayaquil, whose charred bodies were later found in a swampy area near Taura. Five cooperating soldiers received two-and-a-half-year terms. Soldiers told prosecutors the children were beaten, subjected to mock executions and left naked; defendants were acquitted of homicide charges. The case has fuelled national outrage and criticism of President Daniel Noboa's Phoenix Plan, with Amnesty International linking the militarised strategy to rising enforced disappearances.
Ecuador Sentences 11 Soldiers to 34 Years Over Disappearance and Death of Four Boys
A soldier is seen in Otavalo, Ecuador [File: Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo]
A court in Ecuador has sentenced 11 soldiers to 34 years in prison for their role in abusing and abandoning four boys from Guayaquil, who were later found dead. The ruling concludes a yearlong investigation into a case that has sparked nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of the government's use of the military in domestic security operations.
Case Details
The boys, aged 11 to 15, were last seen on 8 December 2024 walking toward a neighbourhood sports field in Guayaquil. Weeks later, on 31 December, the charred bodies of Steven Medina, Nehemias Arboleda and brothers Ismael and Josue Arroyo were discovered in a swampy rural area near Taura.
Verdict and Sentences
The court found the 11 soldiers guilty of abuses that led to the disappearance and deaths of the children and imposed 34-year sentences. Five other soldiers who cooperated with prosecutors received reduced terms of two and a half years.
'The patrol abandoned the minors in that area, knowing it was dangerous, desolate, and abandoned,' Judge Jovanny Suarez said in the ruling.
Conflicting Accounts
The military had argued the boys were criminals who were detained and released alive. Several soldiers, however, told prosecutors that the children were beaten, subjected to mock executions and forced to strip before being left naked and alone in the remote area. The defendants were acquitted of homicide charges.
The defence maintained that prosecutors failed to present conclusive evidence, argued the patrols were undertaken without prior training, and insisted the minors were alive when left behind.
Political and Human Rights Implications
The case has intensified criticism of President Daniel Noboa's so-called Phoenix Plan, under which the government deployed the military across the country to confront spiralling gang violence. Human rights groups have warned that the plan has coincided with a rise in alleged enforced disappearances.
In September, Amnesty International reported that enforced disappearances appeared to be increasing and said the military may be obstructing investigations by refusing to provide information. Amnesty noted that 43 people had been reported missing in incidents involving the armed forces since Noboa took office in 2023.
The verdict underscores tensions between a government seeking quick security responses and growing calls for accountability, transparency and safeguards to protect civilians, especially minors, in operations involving the armed forces.
