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Phone-Tapping Allegations Reviewed in Ecuador
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Ecuador believe their country's police may have intercepted telephone conversations, according to a poll by Informe Confidencial. 69 per cent of respondents in Quito—and 62 per cent of respondents in Guayaquil—believe the practice has occurred.
Earlier this year, public protests against the Ecuadorian government intensified after the Supreme Court threw out pending charges of corruption and mishandling of funds against former presidents Abdalá Bucaram and Gustavo Noboa. In mid-April, president Lucio Gutiérrez instituted a 24-hour state of emergency. On Apr. 20, the National Congress voted to oust the head of state and replace him with vice-president Alfredo Palacio.
On Jun. 23, Ecuador's Police presented two phone-tapping devices acquired during Gutiérrez's tenure. Law enforcement officers said the hardware was obsolete, and could not have been used to actually monitor conversations.
While more than 80 per cent of respondents in the country's two main cities agree with phone-tapping to investigate drug traffickers and kidnapping cases, support is lower for monitoring conversations between politicians or journalists.
Polling Data
Do you think the police has intercepted telephone conversations in Ecuador?
Quito | Guayaquil | |
Yes | 69% | 62% |
No | 23% | 30% |
Would you agree with the police intercepting telephone conversations in the following situations?
Quito | Guayaquil | |
To investigate drug traffickers | 88% | 90% |
To investigate a kidnapping case | 87% | 87% |
Conversations between politicians | 41% | 55% |
Conversations between journalists | 35% | 41% |
Source: Informe Confidencial
Methodology: Interviews to 500 Ecuadorian adults in Quito and Guayaquil, conducted on Jun. 11, 2005. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.