Young Indigenous Ecuadorian Dies After Strike Wounds, Movement Says

Edison David Farinango, described by local press and indigenous movement sources as a young indigenous Ecuadorian, died on December 28, 2025 after spending roughly two months in hospital following injuries sustained during the nationwide strike in October and November. The strike was led by indigenous organizations in protest at President Noboa's decision to eliminate the diesel fuel subsidy.

Local reports say Farinango was struck twice by tear gas canisters during confrontations with security forces, once in the leg and once in the back near his kidneys. Those impacts, the coverage states, severely compromised his kidney function and aggravated pre existing liver problems. Despite medical treatment, the reports say his organs could not withstand the injuries caused by the explosions. The available reporting does not include hospital names, treating physicians or an official medical death certificate.

The death comes amid broader allegations of rights violations documented during the unrest. The Alliance of Organizations for Human Rights compiled a tally they say amounts to 391 human rights violations by police and military forces during the uprising. The alliance and allied organizations also attribute several other deaths to the violent weeks of protest and repression. Those named in the accounts include Efrain Fuerez, Jose Guaman and Rosa Paqui, who are reported by those groups to have died from tear gas inhalation. The accounts further say two young indigenous people were killed by gunfire, though their names were not provided in the material reviewed.

The chronology outlined in the reporting places Farinango's wounding in the course of the October and November demonstrations, with his hospitalization lasting roughly two months before his death at the end of December. Specific details remain unresolved. The reporting does not specify the exact location of the incidents, the precise dates of the wounding and hospital admission, the medical facilities where he was treated or an official cause of death on a death certificate. No formal statement from Ecuadorian authorities, including the police, the military or the health ministry, was included in the accounts under review.

Human rights groups and indigenous leaders have long pressed for independent investigations into the use of force during mass demonstrations. The death of Farinango is likely to increase pressure for transparent forensic inquiries and for official comment on alleged excessive or unlawful use of crowd control munitions. International observers and diplomatic partners will watch whether Quito opens an impartial investigation, provides access to medical and forensic records and addresses the families of the victims.

For now the published accounts leave central questions unanswered, including confirmation of medical findings by hospital authorities, the circumstances in which the canisters struck him and whether any security personnel will be held to account. Journalists and rights monitors say verifying those elements will be essential to establishing responsibility and preventing further escalation between the state and indigenous communities that led the protests.