We are deeply concerned to hear that a member of the OECD Watch network, Carlos Zorrilla of Defensa y Conservacion Ecologica de Intag (DECOIN), an Ecuadorian nongovernmental organisation, has become the subject of a campaign of intimidation apparently in connection with his work to protect the rights of local communities in Cotacachi County, Imbabura Province. It is our understanding that an arrest order has been issued for Mr. Zorrilla on charges of robbery and assault – accusations that he wholly denies. We have strong grounds for believing that these charges may have been fabricated because of DECOIN’s opposition to Ascendant Copper Corporation’s (ACC) activities in the Intag cloud forests. We have a number of reasons to be sceptical about the charges against Mr. Zorrilla as well as concerns about the way in which the Ecuadorian police attempted to arrest him.