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uito, May 9 (Prensa Latina) President Rafael Correa warned today that the state of emergency could be decreed if the indigenous community of Sirayacu again prevents Police from entering the area to arrest three opponents wanted by the country''s justice.
"We are going to enter again with National Police, saying please hand over the fugitives, and if they prevent tyhis action we will decree the state of emergency," said Correa during a press conference in Carchi province, in northern Ecuador.
According to Correa, the problem caused by the Quichua ethnic group of the Amazonian Pastaza province is very serious because for over a month they have been protecting former opposition legislator Clever Jimenez, his aide Fernando Villavicencio and Doctor Carlos Figueroa.
The three individuals were given prison sentences ranging from six months (Figueroa) to 18 months (Jimenez and Villavicencio) for slanderous allegations against President Correa, whom they accused of having committed crimes against humanity durjng the failed coup of 2010.
According to the accused, Correa took advantage of the police revolt to plan his own kidnapping and order his rescue aming a shooting that killed a dozen people, but this denunciation was described as rash and rejected by the Ecuadorian justice.
After being convicted, the three individuals took refuge in Sarayacu, where they are under the protection of armed groups of the community, according to pictures released by local press.
Last week, Chief of Judicial Police, Gen. Diego Zarate, tried to verify the presence of the fugitives in the area, but the helicopter taking him to Sarayacu was immediately surrounded by armed, hooded individuals and the authorities decided to leave the place to avoid any incident.
