On October 15, 2025, military and security forces entered the campus of the Central University of Ecuador during a protest held in the context of a national strike organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).

The CONAIE strikes began on September 12, 2025, to demand the repeal of a presidential decree that eliminated diesel subsidies as an austerity measure. As the movement escalated, the protesters’ demands expanded to include improved access to government services. During a demonstration at the university, security forces breached university grounds, clashing with students and other protesters and detaining several students.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the use of force against students protesting and the incursion of security forces to a university campus. While state authorities have the responsibility to maintain order and prevent disruption, they must refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians and must respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. State-led efforts to intervene in university autonomy and/or restrict student expression undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally. Such actions, beyond harming the immediate victims, have a chilling effect on academic freedom.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/10/17/ecuadorian-government-increases-repression-of-indigenous-led-national-strike/
https://www.ojala.mx/en/ojala-en/neoliberalism-by-force-in-ecuador
https://www.telesurtv.net/policia-reprime-estudiantes-universidad-central/
https://www.tiktok.com/@sonorama_ec/video/7561650347870014776