Through Executive Decrees No. 110 of January 8, 2024 and No. 111 of January 9, 2024, the President of the Republic of Ecuador declared a state of exception throughout the national territory due to serious internal commotion and the existence of internal armed conflict, in accordance with article 164 of the Constitution.

The state of exception will be in force for 60 days, i.e. until March 8, 2024, and entails the limitation of the following constitutional rights:

• Freedom of assembly - the National Police and the Armed Forces are authorized to disband meetings in public spaces, limit agglomerations, both in the national territory and in penitentiary centers.
• Inviolability of domicile - the National Police and the Armed Forces are authorized to carry out inspections and searches to find hiding places, storage of weapons and/or explosives and to dismantle current or future threats.
• Inviolability of correspondence - the National Police and the Armed Forces are authorized to review any letter, message, communication, or missive sent to persons deprived of liberty.
• Freedom of transit - the movement of persons is prohibited every day from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., with the following exceptions: public and private health services, private security, emergency services, people in the export sector, in the logistics chain, in cargo transportation, workers of companies operating at night, people going to or from airports, lawyers going to judicial hearing, journalists, public services and strategic sectors, people engaged in economic activities that supply a productive chain, among others.

Additionally, the mobilization and intervention of the Armed Forces and the National Police is ordered throughout the national territory to guarantee sovereignty and territorial integrity against organized crime, terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors.

Finally, the President of the Republic classifies twenty-two organized crime groups as terrorist organizations, orders the State and Public Security Council to update this list and orders the Armed Forces to execute military operations to neutralize these organizations.