Ecuador court sentences 11 soldiers to 34 years for forced disappearance of four boys

An Ecuadorean court sentenced 11 soldiers to 34 years in prison Monday for their role in the forced disappearance of four boys in Guayaquil, the country's largest city, during security operations last year.

The four victims—Steven Medina, 11; Nehemías Arboleda, 15; and brothers Ismael, 15, and Josué Arroyo, 14—were last seen on December 8, 2024, walking toward a sports field near their neighborhood. Their charred bodies were discovered on December 31 in a rural swampy area near a military base.

According to court findings, a military patrol detained the boys as they returned from playing football. The soldiers forced them to remove their clothes, beat them, and abandoned them in a desolate location. One of the boys called his father, but by the time he arrived, they were no longer there.

The presiding judge, Jovanny Suárez, stated: "The cruelty with which the four minors were victimised has been proven." Two additional judges joined in the verdict.

In total, 17 soldiers faced trial in connection with the disappearance. Five soldiers who confessed and cooperated with the prosecution received reduced sentences of two years and six months. One lieutenant-colonel accused of complicity but who was not part of the patrol was acquitted.

The case emerged during a nationwide crackdown on crime ordered by President Daniel Noboa, who declared multiple states of emergency and deployed armed forces to patrol streets in major cities as part of efforts against organized crime. The trial focused on the crime of forced disappearance, though it remains unclear who exactly killed the boys. The public prosecutor's office is continuing its investigation into the deaths.