The venue will be the Southern Criminal Judicial Unit of Guayaquil at 10:00 (local time), announced on platform X the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, which represents the minors’ relatives.

The Prosecutor’s Office is expected to press charges against members of the Ecuadorian Air Force, who, according to complaints, detained the minors on December 8 in Las Malvinas sector, south of the coastal city.

The missing children are Josué Arroyo (14 years old), Ismael Arroyo (15 years old), Saúl Arboleda (15 years old) and Steven Medina (11 years old).

A video shows soldiers beating and putting two of the minors in a van on the day of their disappearance.

On December 24, the Ministry of Defense ordered that the 16 alleged culprits be placed in military custody.

That same day, a judge accepted a habeas corpus appeal filed by the children’s parents and declared the case as forced disappearance.

During the habeas corpus hearing, prosecutor Christian Fárez said there is no evidence that the minors had committed crimes, as declared by the Minister of Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo.

Loffredo assured that he will not cover up for anyone, but questioned the narrative about the events. “They are trying to position that the military are crazy people who go out to kidnap and make minors disappear,” he said.

Several bodies were found last Tuesday near the Taura Air Base, 39 kilometers from Guayaquil, but they have not yet been identified.

This incident has affected the country, triggering demonstrations in several cities, while international organizations have expressed concern and called on the government to investigate.

Among the choir of voices demanding justice are the UN Office for Human Rights in South America (Acnudh) and the regional office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) for Latin America and the Caribbean.

ied/lam/avr