SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: April 17, 2024

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Central University of Ecuador

Region & Country:Americas | Ecuador

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On April 17, 2024, police used tear gas to disperse students protesting against a government referendum at the Central University of Ecuador (UCE).

In early 2024, President Daniel Noboa called a national referendum on a constitutional reform package that included questions related to labor laws and security reforms. The vote was scheduled for April 21.

On April 17, a group of students gathered at UCE’s gates to demonstrate against the referendum. A video posted on social media shows police grabbing posters and banners causing students to stumble. Shortly thereafter, the media reported that police deployed tear gas.

Scholars at Risk is concerned with the use of force, including chemical irritants, to disperse students exercising their peaceful rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly–conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Ecuador is a party. State authorities have a responsibility to refrain from restricting the nonviolent exercise of such rights. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, the use of force to restrict or deter nonviolent student expression undermines academic freedom and democratic society more generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuador-Police-Repress-Student-Protest-Against-Referendum-20240417-0019.html
https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2024/04/17/universitarios-protestan-contra-consulta-popular-en-ecuador/
https://www.ecuavisa.com/noticias/quito/planton-universidad-central-incidentes-policia-XL7184426
https://www.facebook.com/jre.ecuador/videos/%EF%B8%8Falertala-polic%C3%ADa-agrede-a-estudiantes-de-la-universidad-central-del-ecuador-que/950708706542037/
https://www.radiopichincha.com/estudiantes-de-la-u-central-realizan-planton-contra-la-consulta-de-noboa-hubo-represion-policial/
https://x.com/ecuainm_oficial/status/1780692598266397088