A judge from Ecuador, in the province of Loja, handed down a ruling that “sets a precedent for the abusive use of judicial power to persecute any dissident voice,” according to the NGO Fundamedios. The July 22 ruling annulled a decision taken last June by the Cantonal Board for the Protection of Rights that, among […]
"Five people linked to one of the largest criminal gangs in Ecuador were convicted of the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio that happened on Aug. 9, 2023. Carlos Angulo, alleged leader of Los Lobos gang, and Laura Castilla were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison for leading the hit. [...] The […]
"In June 2024, the exercise of freedom of expression and the press in Ecuador became more dangerous and violent, with a notable increase in attacks on media outlets. Fundamedios documented 21 attacks this month, an increase from May, raising the annual total to 119 attacks. This pattern reveals an escalation in violence and hostility towards […]
"A daughter of Ecuadoran presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, murdered last August, was threatened by the main suspect in ordering the assassination, her lawyer denounced on Wednesday (June 26) during the trial. The alleged perpetrator of the crime 'began issuing messages and comments against one of Fernando's daughters' through the Zoom chat during a hearing, Nathalia […]
"The Government of the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, revoked the visa of Cuban journalist and actress Alondra Santiago, under the argument that the communicator, who in the electoral campaign positioned herself in favor of the Correísta candidate Luisa González, allegedly committed acts that threaten the security of the State. 'What was once fake news, […]
"The program 'Los irreverentes' —hosted by journalists Sol Borja, Fabricio Vela and José Luis Cañizares—, which was broadcast on RTU, was cancelled. Fundamedios learned, unofficially, that the cancellation occurred after pressure from the Government in the face of the criticism expressed in the program. Sources from the media outlet deny it and point out that […]
Mónica Velásquez Villacís, an Ecuadoran journalist with La Posta, was announced as one of this year's recipients of the annual Courage in Journalism Awards, granted by the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) to honor the remarkable bravery of women and non-binary journalists in their pursuit of reporting. In its announcement, the IWMF highlighted Velásquez Villacís' […]
"Relatives of the members of the journalistic team from Ecuadoran newspaper El Comercio who were abducted and murdered in 2018 by a Colombian dissident group of the FARC, denounced this Friday [May 17] that the Ecuadoran government gave them incomplete secret minutes of the Public and State Security Council (COSEPE, for its acronym in Spanish) […]
"This Thursday [May 9], the Ecuadoran government delivered classified documents to relatives of the journalistic team from newspaper El Comercio that was murdered in 2018. The documents were from deliberations of the Security Council during the time the team was abducted by a dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, for its […]
“Some terrifying images went around the world in January. They showed how a television crew in Ecuador was held hostage by a group of criminals during a live broadcast. But the most shocking thing was the image of journalist José Luis Calderón while he was subdued by these subjects. Since then, his life took a […]