Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano

Concerning S.C. vs Denmark for violation of article 3 and 22 of CAT.

The author states that she became a member of the illegal opposition party Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano (PRE) in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, in April 1995, but underlines that she had been an active supporter since 1985. The author’s involvement includes distributing political propaganda material as well as participating in unauthorized political demonstrations. In 1996, the author was even appointed political leader for a women’s group of the party. According to the author, she was arrested, detained and tortured several times by the police due to her involvement in PRE. Thus she fled to Denmark along with her three children and applied for asylum. The Danish authorities rejected her application and thus a complaint was sent to CAT.

The Committee noted that the State party, although expressing doubts as to the complete veracity of the author’s account, do not necessarily dispute that the author might have encountered difficulties with the Ecuadorian authorities because of her political activities. However, the Committee also notes that the information presented by the author does not show substantial grounds for believing that she runs a foreseeable, real and personal risk of being tortured if she is returned to Ecuador. Thus the Committee concludes that the decision to return the author to Ecuador does not constitute a breach of CAT.

20. July 2021

CAT 143/1999
  • Decision: 17. August 1999
  • Comm: Torture