Killing of journalist underscores deteriorating conditions in Ecuador

Tomás Beltrán Photograph: Inter American Press AssociationView image in fullscreenTomás Beltrán Photograph: Inter American Press AssociationEcuadorKilling of journalist underscores deteriorating conditions in EcuadorTomás Beltrán was shot dead amid gang warfare that has turned Latin American country into one of its most violent.

Preferir o Guardian no Google. Tomás Beltrán estava manobrando seu carro para a garagem na noite de domingo quando o jornalista equatoriano foi morto a tiros.

Beltrán ran a Facebook page with news about Calceta, a small city in the province of Manabí, whose Pacific coastline has made it a key flashpoint in the gang warfare over drug trafficking routes that has transformed one of Latin America’s safest countries into one of its most violent.

Police and the public prosecutor’s office have not said much about the case, and little was known about the killers except that they were armed and then fled the scene.

It was also unclear whether the crime was linked to Beltrán’s work, though he had previously reported allegations of corruption involving local authorities.

Apesar disso, muitos grupos de liberdade de imprensa já citam seu assassinato como o mais recente exemplo de como as condições para jornalistas deterioraram drasticamente no Equador.

Seis jornalistas foram mortos no país apenas no ano passado.

Artur Romeu, Reporters Without Borders’ Latin America director, said in a statement that months ago Beltrán had told the organisation “about his fears and the threats he was receiving”.

A organização da sociedade civil ecuadoriana Fundación Periodistas Sin Cadenas (FPSC) relatou que pelo menos 19 jornalistas tiveram que se exilar desde que a violência de gangues explodiu em 2023.

Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine like neighbouring Colombia and Peru, it has become a major trafficking hub, particularly through the Pacific.

Journalists have received death threats with photographs of their homes and details of their routines and families.

Almeida said another problem for journalists has been the stance of the government of the far-right president Daniel Noboa, who has responded to the surge in crime with a controversial “iron-fist” approach to the gangs, repeatedly declaring states of emergency and expanding the role of the armed forces in measures that have been widely criticised by human rights groups.

Enquanto cobriam operações militares, repórteres tiveram seus telefones confiscados, um mandado de busca foi executado na casa de um repórter e um jornalista foi ameaçado por soldados simplesmente por filmar a parada de estudantes universitários.

There have also been several reports that Noboa, one of US president Donald Trump’s key allies in Latin America, has pressured media organisations to dismiss journalists critical of him, including the columnist Roberto Aguilar, who said he was fired from the newspaper Diario Expreso after the government reportedly threatened private advertisers with audits if they continued advertising with the outlet.

A administração de Noboa não respondeu a pedidos de comentário.