Ecuadorian justice has launched a process this Monday (4) against local leader Leonidas Iza for paralyzing a civil service during protests against the government that resulted in the deaths of six people, but the hearing was adjourned until August 9.

The prosecution’s statement on Twitter said, “The hearing of the case in which Leonidas I. is directly prosecuted for allegedly participating in the crime of paralyzing the civil service has been postponed. The study was scheduled to take place on August 9 at 11:00 a.m. and was declared prudent two hours after the start of the procedures.

Iza’s trial at the courthouse in the city of Latacunga on 14 June, who was present at the trial, was held for 24 hours during national demonstrations due to the high cost of living.

The Office of the Ombudsman previously said on Twitter that its delegation in Latacunga “was present at the hearing to maintain due process” in the case against Iza, head of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie).

Raúl Ilaquiche, one of the defense lawyers, told AFP that the trial will take “a few days” due to the amount of witnesses and evidence.

Leonidas Iza, who was detained for blocking the roads, could be sentenced to up to three years in prison for the crime he was accused of by the Prosecutor’s Office.

– “Deadly repression” – According to local officials, around 2,000 Aboriginal people gathered around the bars and the courthouse, which was cordoned off by the police, to peacefully express their support for the Conaie leader. They withdrew without any incident.

Another lawyer for Iza, Carlos Poveda, told the press that the defense contested the jurisdiction of Judge Paola Bedón because he had already seen the case after his arrest.

On June 15, Bedón ordered the immediate release of the indigenous leader, provided that he periodically reports to the authorities and does not leave the country.

Poveda said, “We requested consultation from the Constitutional Court on an important issue: We believe that the judge who heard it publicly (progressively) cannot be the judge who makes the decision. There is evidence pollution.”

The court has 45 days to make a decision, so the hearing will be postponed until August 9.

“I felt really deadly pressure for justice to be biased,” Iza told the press as she left the courthouse wearing her usual red poncho and fedora. “We demand that the ordinary justice of this country be impartial,” he said.

– Negotiations – Iza led 18 protests among security forces agents and civilians against the government of right-wing president Guillermo Lasso, which left six dead and at least 600 injured.

Protesters are demanding up to 21% reductions in the prices of the most used fuels, a moratorium on loans from rural producers to banks, and the suspension of mining and oil activities in local areas.

The Executive and Conaie, mediated by the Catholic Church, signed a “peace action” in Quito last Thursday to end demonstrations in which nearly 10,000 locals moved to protest in the capital.

As part of the deals, the government cut fuel prices by up to 8%, cutting diesel prices to $1.75 per gallon and gasoline prices to $2.40 per gallon.

Also next Thursday, a dialogue table will be held between the parties to negotiate pending demands, such as the allocation of more fuel subsidies to rural areas.

Conaie, who participated in the riots that toppled three presidents between 1997 and 2005, also spearheaded anti-government protests in October 2019 against the removal of fuel subsidies that cost the state more than $3 billion a year.