leader escaped from jail, there were prison riots, an armed attack on a tv station and several politicians were murdered. in the last year alone 8,000 violent deaths have been recorded. but human rights groups are concerned that if these measures are passed it could lead to abuses such as police brutality and arbitrary arrests which, they say, have already increased this year. our south america correspondent ione wells is following the story from quito. a state of emergency and an internal armed conflict was announced by the president back injanuary, and that was because one of the top gang leaders escaped from prison. that led to mass prison riots, violence on the streets, mass increase in both killings but also kidnappings as well. and that triggered the president at the time to announce this state of emergency, essentially a package of extraordinary measures like bringing in the military to try and control law and order in the streets and in prisons,