The human rights defender and father of the Restrepo brothers died at the age of 81, leaving an indelible legacy in the history of the country.
Pedro Restrepo, father of the missing brothers Santiago and Andrés Restrepo, died on December 24 in Quito. His tireless fight for truth and justice after the forced disappearance of his children made him an icon of human rights in Ecuador and Latin America. Pedro Restrepo, the man who dedicated more than 36 years of his life to demanding answers for the forced disappearance of his children, died at the age of 81 due to respiratory complications. The Restrepo case marked a before and after in the history of human rights in Ecuador, making visible the abuses committed by the State and the failures in the judicial system.
In January 1988, his sons Santiago (17) and Andrés (14) were arrested by the National Police and, since then, their whereabouts remain a mystery. Despite evidence of torture and murder, the brothers' bodies were never found. In 2010, the Truth Commission confirmed that the teenagers were victims of forced disappearance at the hands of state agents.
Restrepo, along with his wife Luz Elena and his daughter María Fernanda, led marches, sit-ins and international campaigns to demand justice. For 19 consecutive years, he protested in front of the Carondelet Palace every Wednesday, becoming a figure of resistance and courage.
Santiago and Andrés Restrepo
Pedro Restrepo: An eternal symbol of the fight for justice in Ecuador
His daughter, María Fernanda, captured this fight in the documentary Con mi corazón en Yambo (2011), a work that portrays the pain, love and resilience of the family in the face of impunity.
Although the Ecuadorian State officially acknowledged its responsibility in the case and offered reparations, the crime remains unpunished. In 1998, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned Ecuador, highlighting the state's negligence in the investigation.
After his death, institutions such as the National Assembly, the Ecuadorian House of Culture and the Ombudsman's Office issued messages of condolence, highlighting his legacy as a tireless defender of human rights. "His struggle leaves an indelible legacy," the Assembly said in a statement.
Recommended Civil organizations also remembered him as an example of strength. The Regional Foundation for Human Rights Advice (Inredh) described him as "a symbol of hope for those facing the search for missing loved ones."
Paradoxically, his departure occurs in a context of new tragedies in Ecuador, such as the disappearance of four children in Las Malvinas, Guayaquil. This parallelism highlights the need to continue fighting against impunity and forced disappearances in the country.
Pedro Restrepo lived and died with a mission: to seek justice for his children and ensure that other families do not face the same tragedy. His struggle transcended borders and generations, leaving an indelible mark on Ecuador's history. Will the State be able to honor his memory by solving the Restrepo case and preventing new disappearances?
Source: prensa.ec
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