November 2, 2021
Guillermo Lasso
President of the Republic of Ecuador
Palacio de Gobierno
García Moreno
N10-43 entre Chile y Espejo
Quito 170401, Ecuador
Dear President Lasso:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS) is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
This communication is in regard to Ecuadorian scientists Linda Guamán and Ximena Abarca. According to publicly available information, they face 10 to 13 years in prison for their alleged role in the use of supposedly substandard COVID tests provided by the South Korean company Monitor. The alleged “crime” has occurred in the course of the response to the pandemic by the city of Quito in the summer and fall 2020.
The charges against Guamán and Abarca appear to be based on the scientific research that elucidated deficiencies of the Monitor testing method. However, other scientists reported that the method was still effective in detecting COVID-19. CCS is concerned that scientific research has been used to settle political score with the former administration of Quito that authorized the testing. Such weaponization of science has no place in health services.
Abarca, before her role as director of the Quito health secretariat, was a professor of molecular biology at the University of the Americas (UDLA), Granados, and a national vice minister of health. Linda Guamán, now the head of Equator Technological University Center for Biomedical Research, was scientific advisor of Abarca and a researcher at the university. The unusual nature of their prosecution will only serve to discourage other scientists from advising the government in the battle against COVID-19.
We write to urge you to ensure that Guamán and Abarca are treated fairly. We further request that whatever legal proceedings are held in their case meet international standards for fair trials. If the charges are simply political in origin, their electronic shackles must be removed immediately and unconditionally, and their prosecution must be stopped.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will be closely following developments in this case.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
Cc:
Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520 USA
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @ABlinken
Michael J. Fitzpatrick
Ambassador of the United States to Ecuador
U.S. Embassy Quito
E12-170 Avigiras Avenue and Avenue Eloy Alfaro
Quito, Ecuador
Phone: +593-2-398-5000
Ivonne Juez Abuchacra de Baki
Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States
Ecuadorian Embassy
2535 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 234 7200
Fax: (202) 333-2893