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Ecuador legislative and judicial developments

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-21 15:26 UTC → 2026-10-21 20:32 UTC · added removed

Ecuador has seen significant legal and legislative activity regarding international trade and domestic criminal reform. The Constitutional Court ruled that the Reciprocal Trade Agreement with the United States requires approval from the National Assembly. This agreement, intended to eliminate a 10% U.S. surtax on various Ecuadorian non-oil exports including agricultural products and minerals, involves constitutional requirements for treaties affecting trade and integration. Separately, the National Assembly unanimously approved reforms to the Organic Law against Human Trafficking and Illicit Migrant Smuggling. The new legislation increases modifies the Organic Integral Penal Code (COIP) to strengthen victim protection and increase penalties for trafficking, introduces traffickers. Key changes include the introduction of forced marriage and forced de facto unions as an autonomous crime, and crimes, as well as the recognition of gleba servitude as a modality of exploitation. For trafficking cases involving minors, the law removes the requirement to prove force the use of threats, force, or deception when victims are minors. The reform also grants to establish the crime. Penalties have been significantly increased: basic aggravated trafficking carries 19 to 22 years in prison, rising to 26 to 30 years for serious or irreversible damage, and reaching up to 35 years if the victim dies. To combat the financial aspects of organized crime, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit more power (UAFE) are now authorized to conduct parallel financial investigations to track and freeze illicit assets assets. The reform aims to combat organized crime. align Ecuadorian law with international standards and comply with a Constitutional Court ruling regarding the Furukawa case.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-21 20:32 UTC Ecuador legislative and judicial developments
  2. 2026-10-21 15:26 UTC Ecuador legislative and judicial developments

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