An Assassination in Ecuador

Far right in Ecuador proposes authoritarian response to rise in violence.

BY JEFF ABBOTT AUGUST 17, 2023 9:22 PM

On August 9, Fernando Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian presidential candidate, was assassinated as he left a rally in Quito, the capital of the South American country.

Villavicencio was a fifty-nine-year-old former journalist who previously served in the country’s national assembly. He was known for his staunch anti-corruption platform and for speaking out against the spread of drug cartels. He had reported receiving death threats since at least 2021.

A criminal group known as Los Lobos has taken credit for the assassination in a video published on social media. But shortly afterward, another video was uploaded by a group calling itself “The Real Los Lobos” and denying they were responsible for the killing.

In response, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso declared a sixty-day state of emergency, suspending constitutional rights, such as the right of assembly and deploying the police and military.

More:
https://progressive.org/latest/an-assassination-in-ecuador-abbott-20230817/