Summary
In 2011, Margarita Castillo Mera filed a complaint with Ecuador’s national ombudman (Defensoria del Pueblo) against Petroecuador and its subsidiaries for damages caused to Nature as a result of a fire that occurred on February 26, 1998, that was caused by the rupture of an oil pipeline operated by Petroecuador. The plaintiffs alleged that the right to a healthy environment and the rights of nature were violated. The Defensoria del Pueblo investigated and agreed with Castillo Mera’s assessment. It ordered Petroecuador to pay a fine and asked Petroecuador to remedy all the damage caused to the environment, clean the Teaone and Esmeraldas rivers, and minimize the routine environmental impact emanating from the oil industry in this province. Castillo Mera claimed that Petroecuador has not complied with any of the points of the decision (which is not legally binding). The Defensoria del Pueblo declared that Petroecuador violated the rights of the inhabitants of Delfina Torres Vda to live in a healthy environment in harmony with nature and asked for Petroecuador’s compliance.