Ecuador Investigates Alleged Human Rights Abuse By US Military

Friday May 15th, 2009 / 18h08
QUITO (AFP)--A legislative commission in Ecuador began investigating Friday alleged human rights abuses by U.S. armed forces in the country, a government source told AFP.
The inquiry comes soon after the U.S. announcement it will withdraw troops by November from the southwestern Manta base, after Quito decided not to renew the lease for the facilities used in countering the drug trade over the last decade.
Several lawmakers will travel to the region next week to hear first-hand accounts as part of the probe, said Foreign Relations Committee chairman Marco Martinez.
The alleged rights violence involves the sinking of a fishing boat at sea and the disappearance of its 15-member crew.
In separate incidents, the commission was also hearing testimony from underage prostitutes who claim to have been beaten by U.S. soldiers, Martinez said.
"We need to verify these serious allegations," he said. "We are going to have a public hearing for these complaints and of course we will also hear testimony from the people involved."
From the Manta base U.S. aircraft have tracked boats carrying drugs via the Pacific Ocean. Anti-narcotics operations since 2000 have seen the seizure of about 1,617 tons of cocaine, according to the U.S. embassy in Quito.