On July 19, Quito Police arrested seven Ecuadorians and one American activist who was immediately deported from the country. The arrests took place after 50 community members from Mindo, Lago Agrio, Esmeraldas and Shushufindi, together with environmental and human rights activists, held a peaceful protest outside the Quito offices of U.S. oil companyOccidental Petroleum (OXY). The protestors demanded the end of the construction of Ecuador's new OCP Pipeline that is now being built by OXY, affecting their territories, which are composed of fragile ecosystems and 11 environmentally protected areas. The seven Ecuadorians were released in Quito and all charges were dropped.
