Ecuador

Villavicencio, a journalist and former legislator, had a long record of exposing corruption, human rights violations, and abuses by organized crime.

The country’s political turmoil, security crisis, and risks to press freedom escalate as elections approach.

This is an extract from the report on Ecuador, from the series of reports to come out of the research under the “Unfreedom Monitor.”

Mission to Ecuador spotlights urgent need to prioritize journalist safety.

Periodistas Sin Cadenas, Voces del Sur, Red Leal and IFEX-ALC strongly condemn the serious press freedom and freedom of expression violations that have taken place recently in Ecuador. As a result of these violations, two journalists have been forced into exile within the first few months of 2023.

Noroña met with a source who told her that the leader of a drug trafficking group had threatened to kill the journalist due to her reporting on organized crime and violence in Ecuador’s prisons.

“Everything seems to suggest that this was a planned and coordinated attack with the aim of undermining the work of the national media and sowing fear in newsrooms in general. It ratchets up the climate of insecurity and self-censorship that is becoming part of the life of journalists in Ecuador.”

President Guillermo Lasso’s threat of ‘war’ against journalists doing investigative reporting is a desperate attempt to silence them.

Arturo Torres investigates how disinformation moves in Ecuador. He uncovered 13 simultaneous disinformation campaigns driven by political interests, with the goal of weakening the government of then-president Lenin Moreno.

The Inter American Press Association condemned the attack on a television station and threats against a newspaper, which “seek to intimidate the activity of journalism.”

CPJ: “We are shocked by the brazen killing of journalist Gerardo Delgado in broad daylight in Manta and urge Ecuadorian authorities to fully investigate whether he was targeted for his work.”

In view of the wave of violence against journalists in Ecuador the Inter American Press Association is urging the government to complete the implementation of a protection system for journalists and press workers.

The report provides insights into the patterns of systemic discrimination which marginalise women, and remain deeply entrenched in both the publishing industry and the protocols of literary awards in five Latin American countries.

Ecuadorean police responded to peaceful demonstrations commemorating International Women’s Day with excessive force, including striking a journalist with a club and indiscriminate use of teargas and pepper spray.