Ecuador Order Expulsion of Developer Ola Bini Over Secret Accusations

• Ecuadorean authorities have ordered the immediate deportation of security expert and free software developer Ola Bini.
• Bini is barred from re-entering the country for a period of 10 years.
• The government alleges Bini poses a threat to public security and the state, citing a classified report that the defense has been denied access to.

Sequence of Events

• Immigration agents intercepted Bini in Quito and detained him without presenting a formal order or evidence of visa revocation.
• A habeas corpus filing by his defense was unsuccessful.
• A scheduled deportation hearing was suspended due to the lack of an interpreter for Bini, who is a Swedish national.
• Human rights observers were denied entry to the hearing, and Bini was subsequently moved to the airport to await removal to Sweden.

Legal Context

• The deportation occurs despite the expiration of the statute of limitations on the criminal case previously brought against Bini.
• An initial 2023 acquittal was overturned by an appeals court, which convicted him of attempted unauthorized system access, a ruling criticized as lacking supporting evidence.
• Digital rights groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, characterize the ongoing state actions as a continuation of arbitrary persecution that began with his 2019 arrest.