Indigenous justice is an ancestral practice applied in various communities in Loja and the country, and has various connotations. Even the recent announcement by a national leader that it should be applied to legislators who do not vote for the removal of President Lasso has generated various criticisms.
Indigenous justice is the set of norms based on their own cultural values and principles, with customs that regulate social life in a community or territory.
Álvaro Medina Sosoranga, a native of the Cañaro community, Saraguro canton, and former leader of the Interprovincial Federation of Saraguro Indigenous People (FIIS), in dialogue with Diario Crónica, specified that this practice dates back decades.
“Even before the 2008 Constitution was promulgated, these collective rights were already being applied. Subsequently, we formed the Interprovincial Council of Administration of Indigenous Justice of the Kichua-Saraguro People,” he said.
common
Medina Sosoranga, who is also a legal professional, noted, “in the communities of the Saraguro canton, indigenous justice is applied in cases of cattle rustling (cattle theft), fraud, theft,” among others.
He added that “these practices are not punishment, it is a healing and reintegration into the community in a harmonious way. Nettle and water are elements of nature, which return the person to harmony.
Political environment
Regarding the political situation and the declarations of Guillermo Churuchumbi, as the national coordinator of Pachakutik (although his recent election is being contested), that indigenous justice should be applied to legislators who do not vote for the removal of President Lasso; Medina Sosoranga pointed out that, “it must be applied to those who get lost along the way…, when we campaign politically we say: we are not going to lie to the people and in many cases some assembly members ignore what they committed themselves to.” (YO)
GIVEN
As of the 2008 constitution, a chapter that speaks of the Judicial Function and indigenous Justice is implemented, in which it is stated that the only ones who have jurisdiction to be able to put indigenous justice into practice are the indigenous communities, peoples and nationalities.