CC determines that indigenous justice will not be used in homicide

The Constitutional Court (CC) recognized the jurisdiction of the ordinary courts for judging and punishing crimes against life (murder, manslaughter or rape) in which are involved members of an indigenous community.

This was determined by the plenary of the organism in a resolution it adopted yesterday with the support of six of the nine judges.

With this choice, that took three and a half years to the CC, it was resoved a remarkable protective action posed by the families of the young men of La Cocha community, executed as suspects in the murder of an indigenous . The incident occurred in the community of Guantopolo, province of Cotopaxi.

The resolution states that the people of La Cocha is competent to resolve their internal conflicts, but the prosecution and punishment of crimes against life is an exclusive power of the common law.