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Ecuador

IAPA expresses concern over intervention in newspaper publisher in Ecuador

"The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expresses concern over the intervention of Gráficos Nacionales S.A. (GRANASA), publisher of the newspapers Extra and Expreso, ordered by Ecuador’s Superintendency of Companies. The organization urges authorities to act with transparency and strict adherence to due process. In a document sent on Feb. 18 to GRANASA’s chief executive officer and general manager, […]

IAPA warns about military criteria conditioning press coverage in Ecuador

"The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expresses its deep concern over guidelines issued by the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador (FF.AA.) for the coordination, accreditation, and management of media outlets and journalists at institutional events. The organization believes these measures establish a system of control, evaluation, and exclusion that amounts to prior […]

Ecuadoran press groups warn bill could shield officials from criticism

When Camila León, an assembly member from the National Democratic Action (ADN for its initials in Spanish), introduced a bill to reform Article 396 of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code (COIP), she said: “Without a free press, there is no democracy.” Article 396 states that anyone who uses violent, aggressive or hostile expressions on social […]

IAPA warns of indirect pressure mechanisms against critical media in Ecuador

“The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expressed concern over a series of actions by various entities, including a government body in Ecuador, that could constitute indirect reprisals against Gráficos Nacionales S.A. (GRANASA), the publishing company of the newspapers Expreso and Extra. [...] In a public statement, GRANASA accused the government of President Daniel Noboa of […]

Media teams attacked by security guards while reporting on fire in Ecuador

"Teams from various media outlets were attacked by private security personnel at the Guayaquil land terminal while carrying out their reporting work outside the complex. Journalists and cameramen arrived near midnight to report on a fire that occurred in the terminal's food court near midnight on Monday Dec. 8. [...] At around 2:30 a.m., a […]

Potential release of accused killer in Colombia alarms press freedom group

The Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) expressed its deep concern about how the Colombian Attorney General's Office is handling the case of Carlos Arturo Landázuri, alias “El Gringo,” accused of the killing of journalists Paul Rivas, Javier Ortega, and Efraín Segarra, of the Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio, in 2018. In a Dec. 6 statement, FLIP […]

Gunmen kill journalist who ran Ecuador news page

"Darwin Baque was a cameraman and ran the website Guayaquil al rojo vivo. His killing early Wednesday, Nov. 26, has shocked the coastal city of Guayaquil. Around 12:30 a.m., the shooting occurred at the intersection of Cacique Tomalá and Los Tulipanes streets, in southern Guayaquil. At that hour, unidentified attackers opened fire on him and […]

Ecuadoran journalist Fernando Álvarez murdered while playing soccer match

"Journalist Fernando Álvarez, founder and administrator of the digital media outlet FernandoTV, was murdered on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in the Salitre coliseum, Guayas province, while participating in a soccer game with friends. According to preliminary information from the National Police and the organization Fundamedios, several armed individuals entered the sports complex […]

Watchdog reports 46 attacks on journalists during Ecuador’s protests

"From the start of Ecuador’s 2025 national strike on Sept. 22 until Oct. 22, when the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) announced the end of the protest, Fundamedios — an organization that monitors and defends freedom of expression — reported 46 attacks on the press during the demonstrations. Among the cases were physical […]

Journalist shot while covering clashes between protestors and Ecuadorian army, police

"Ecuadorian authorities should comprehensively and swiftly investigate the shooting of TV journalist Edison Muenala and take decisive actions to ensure that press members can safely report on ongoing anti-government demonstrations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday [Oct. 16]. On Tuesday [Oct. 14], Muenala, a journalist and producer with the community station APAK TV, was […]

Fundamedios condemns attacks by security forces on journalists covering protests in Ecuador

"[Freedom of expression organization] Fundamedios expresses deep concern and condemnation of the attacks, searches and arbitrary detentions of journalists and media workers covering the demonstrations that took place this Sunday [Oct. 12] in Quito. According to verified reports, members of the security forces allegedly intervened in a violent and disproportionate manner against press workers who […]

Ecuador deports Spanish journalist covering Indigenous protests, considering him a threat to security

"Ecuador expelled Spanish journalist Bernat-Lautaro Bidegain, who was covering Indigenous protests, for considering him a threat to national security, according to the government of President Daniel Noboa. This is not the first time Bidegain has been expelled from a country. In May 2025, Panama denied him entry and deported him in the context of demonstrations […]