Recovery & Security Campaign

Help restore the equipment and strengthen the security of our community space

Silueta X has opened a donation campaign to replace essential work equipment and reinforce access controls, alarms, video surveillance, and information backup systems.

Donate at dona.siluetax.org

Silueta X Association informs the public, the media, and human rights organizations that its headquarters, located at Carchi and Padre Solano streets in Guayaquil, was once again affected—this time by a forced entry and the theft of equipment used for its community work.

The incident was discovered on August 31, 2026. According to the formal complaint filed with Ecuador’s Office of the Attorney General, the door locks had been broken and the padlock on the sliding door had been forced.

THE INITIAL COMPLAINT AND THE LOSS INVENTORY

The complaint filed with the Prosecutor’s Office initially lists two televisions, two bazooka-style speakers, five desktop computers, approximately USD 300 in cash, clothing merchandise belonging to entrepreneurs, and other items. The organization is continuing to verify the full impact. Any later differences will be reported as a supplementary inventory and not as a modification of the document already filed with the authorities.

A SECOND INCIDENT WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD

According to Silueta X, this new forced entry occurred approximately two weeks after another robbery at the premises, during which part of an air-conditioning unit was stolen. In the organization’s view, the short interval between the two incidents means they should not be normalized or treated solely as property losses.

A COMMUNITY SPACE HAS BEEN AFFECTED

This office hosts community support activities, psychological therapy, free legal counseling, social organizing, case documentation, and ongoing actions in defense of rights. Silueta X states that it currently maintains the only active physical LGBT+ office in Guayaquil, so the impact of the robberies also affects the continuity of services and activities for the community.

SILUETA X CALLS FOR ALL HYPOTHESES TO BE INVESTIGATED, WITHOUT PREJUDGING THE OUTCOME

Silueta X Association is asking investigators not to limit the inquiry to identifying which items were stolen, but also to determine whether there is any relationship between the recent incidents and whether there could be an element of intimidation, retaliation for activism, harassment of human rights defenders, hostility toward the LGBTIQ+ population, or possible political persecution connected to the organization’s public advocacy.

The organization also notes that, in the recent context, it has publicly denounced not only harassment from conservative groups but also restrictive measures that it considers persecutory, including the elimination of the protocol concerning trans children in the Salinas case, restrictions affecting adoption by single homosexual persons, and measures it says could lead to loss of parental authority for parents who support a trans child in affirming their gender identity.

The organization does not attribute responsibility to any particular person, party, movement, authority, or institution. At this time, there is not enough evidence to assert political authorship. For that very reason, Silueta X believes that possibility should be investigated—not stated as fact—alongside any other hypotheses that emerge from the evidence.

“We are not claiming, without evidence, that there is political responsibility. What we are saying is that two incidents in a short period against an organization publicly identified with the defense of LGBTIQ+ rights cannot be normalized. It is for the authorities to investigate whether these are isolated property crimes or whether there is a pattern of intimidation, retaliation, or persecution related to our work.”
Diane Rodríguez · Silueta X Association

THEY DID NOT ONLY TAKE EQUIPMENT

The stolen equipment was used for client support, document production, campaigns, archives, and the organization of activities. The forced entry also creates a less visible consequence: insecurity inside a space that receives people who may be experiencing violence, discrimination, or vulnerability.

The organization urgently needs to strengthen access protection, alarms, video surveillance, work equipment, and information backup systems in order to reduce the risk of further losses and guarantee continuity of services.

REQUEST TO THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE AND NATIONAL POLICE

• Identify those responsible and determine whether there is any connection between the recent incidents.
• Review public and private security cameras in the area and preserve available recordings in a timely manner.
• Carry out the appropriate forensic examinations of doors, locks, padlocks, and other forced entry points.
• Trace the stolen equipment through serial numbers, resale channels, and other available investigative mechanisms.
• Take into account Silueta X’s context as a human rights organization and, if the evidence supports it, investigate possible motives involving intimidation, hate, retaliation, or persecution.

CALL TO MEDIA, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Silueta X calls on media outlets, national and international human rights organizations, LGBTIQ+ collectives, public institutions, international cooperation agencies, companies, and members of the public to remain attentive to the development of the case and support the continuity of a community space that has taken years to build.

PRESS CONTACT