Friday, May 9, 2025
No Result
View All Result
newshub
  • Newshub news
    • Ukraine
  • Markets
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Central Banks
    • China
    • Commodities
    • Corporate
    • Energy
      • Climate
      • Carbon
      • Coal
      • Disruptive
      • Gas
      • Nuclear
      • Oil
      • Solar
      • Water
      • Waves
      • Wind
      • Renewable
    • South America
    • South East Asia
    • Stock of the week
    • UK
    • US
    • Europe
    • Japan
  • Investment
    • Stock of the week
    • WEX – (Company links takes you to WEX)
      • Alt Kap Holding AB
      • Digital Network Holding, Inc.
      • Fantas-E AB
      • International Clean Energy Inc.
      • Intritum Partner Limited
      • Intritum Recycling GH Limited
      • MSTRpay AB
      • SWAP Services, Inc.
      • TC Unterhaltungselektronik AG
      • Universal Streaming Technologies – USTA
      • VMT Holding, Inc.
  • Fintech
    • AI
    • Banking
    • Blockchain
    • Crypto
    • MSTRpay
    • Neobanking
  • Lifestyle
    • Best chefs
    • Cocktail of the week
    • History
    • Influential women
  • Newshub news
    • Ukraine
  • Markets
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Central Banks
    • China
    • Commodities
    • Corporate
    • Energy
      • Climate
      • Carbon
      • Coal
      • Disruptive
      • Gas
      • Nuclear
      • Oil
      • Solar
      • Water
      • Waves
      • Wind
      • Renewable
    • South America
    • South East Asia
    • Stock of the week
    • UK
    • US
    • Europe
    • Japan
  • Investment
    • Stock of the week
    • WEX – (Company links takes you to WEX)
      • Alt Kap Holding AB
      • Digital Network Holding, Inc.
      • Fantas-E AB
      • International Clean Energy Inc.
      • Intritum Partner Limited
      • Intritum Recycling GH Limited
      • MSTRpay AB
      • SWAP Services, Inc.
      • TC Unterhaltungselektronik AG
      • Universal Streaming Technologies – USTA
      • VMT Holding, Inc.
  • Fintech
    • AI
    • Banking
    • Blockchain
    • Crypto
    • MSTRpay
    • Neobanking
  • Lifestyle
    • Best chefs
    • Cocktail of the week
    • History
    • Influential women
No Result
View All Result
newshub
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated

2023/08/10/07:42
in South America
Reading Time: 5 mins read
237 16
A A
Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated
MSTRpay MSTRpay MSTRpay
ADVERTISEMENT

Fernando Villavicencio killed less than two weeks before election amid surge in violent and organised crime in South American country

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot dead as he left a campaign event in Quito, just days before an election where the central issue is the country’s slide into violence and crime.

Videos on social media show Villavicencio, a former journalist who has worked for the Guardian and was outspoken about alleged links between organised crime and politics, surrounded by supporters and being escorted by security guards to a waiting vehicle when gunshots ring out as people start to scream and take cover.

ECUADOR-CRIME-DRUG TRAFFICKING-DEATH<br>Handout frame grab from CCTV video footage in Esmeraldas' Artisanal Fishing Port showing people running after armed men fired on the port in Esmeraldas, Ecuador on April 11, 2023. - Nine people were killed this Tuesday in Ecuador by some thirty armed attackers who arrived in boats and cars at a port for artisanal fishermen in the northern province of Esmeraldas, on the border with Colombia, authorities reported. (Photo by Handout / Security camera in Esmeraldas' Artisanal Fishing Port / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SECURITY CAMERA IN ESMERALDAS' ARTISANAL FISHING PORT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by HANDOUT/Security camera in Esmeraldas' A/AFP via Getty Images)

The country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, said he was “outraged and shocked by the assassination” and would convene a meeting of his security cabinet. “For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished,” he said.

A suspect in the killing died from injuries sustained during the shootout that ensued, the attorney general’s office said later, with six arrests made in connection with the attack.

Speaking at the scene of the shooting, Villavicencio’s uncle, Galo Valencia, blamed the state for not giving his nephew enough security and described how he thought the gunshots were fireworks launched by supporters until “we saw that there were wounded falling, blood, injured people”.

WE/X WE/X WE/X
ADVERTISEMENT

“What we witnessed was like a horror film. The death of my relative. I have no words for what’s happening in the country. They just killed democracy,” he said.

“What insecurity we live in … if a man who fought more than 20 years, the most likely to win the elections, is silenced. Is this the way to win elections?”

‘This is terrorism’

The assassination comes amid a shocking surge in violent crime in the small South American country, as rival drug trafficking gangs perpetrate prison massacres and murder rates have more than doubled between 2020 and 2022. Lasso said in the wake of Wednesday’s killing: “Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law.”

Villavicencio was one of eight presidential candidates running in early elections due to be held on 20 August. More than half of Ecuadorians said in a poll that fixing the country’s insecurity problem is their biggest priority.

ADVERTISEMENT

A witness to the attack who did not wish to be identified said he initially thought the gunshots were fireworks. “We never imagined the tragedy that we are now living in the country. This is terrorism.

“If this can happen to a candidate who supposedly had security and contacts then anyone can be killed. It leaves a clear message that here life is worth nothing.”

Villavicencio’s fellow candidates expressed remorse. In a message on Twitter , Otto Sonnenholzner, said: “Our deepest condolences and deep solidarity with the loved ones of Fernando Villavicencio. May God keep him in his glory. Our country has gotten out of hand.”

“Today more than ever, the need to act with a strong hand against crime is reiterated. May God have him in his glory,” fellow presidential hopeful Jan Topic said.

Just days prior to his murder, Villavicencio, who was 59, had alleged on national television that he had received several death threats which he said came from the jailed leader of the Choneros gang, known as “Alias Fito”, ordering him to step mentioning his name.

Bullet holes are visible in the car that presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was entering when the attack happened in Quito on Wednesday.
Bullet holes are visible in the car that presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was entering when the attack happened in Quito on Wednesday. Photograph: Galo Paguay/AFP/Getty Images

Villavicencio, from the Andean province of Chimborazo, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. He was a former union member at state oil company Petroecuador and later a journalist who denounced alleged millions in oil contract losses.

Villavicencio was one of the most critical voices against corruption, especially during the government of former president Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defamation over statements made against the former president.

“Ecuador has become a failed state,” tweeted Correa after Wednesday’s killing. “Those who seek to sow even more hatred with this new tragedy, I hope they understand that it only continues to destroy us.”

In 2014, Villavicencio fled to Indigenous territory within Ecuador and later, in 2017, was given asylum in Peru. Villavicencio spent time in the Indigenous Kichwa community of Sarayaku in Ecuador’s Amazon. At the news of his killing, the community’s leader Patricia Gualinga said: “I am crying and very distressed because he was a personal friend.”

“Sarayaku gave him asylum”, Gualinga, an Indigenous activist who was at the Amazon Summit in Belém, Brazil, told the Guardian. “Fernando said if we handed [him] over [he] would not survive,” she said, describing him as “familiar and kind figure” who gave talks at local schools.

As a legislator, Villavicencio was criticised by opposition politicians for obstructing an impeachment process this year against Lasso, which led the latter to call the early elections.

Source: The Guardian

Related Posts

Brazil’s currency drops to weakest level yet 4 as Lula’s fiscal measures debated
South America

Brazil’s currency drops to weakest level yet 4 as Lula’s fiscal measures debated

by newshub
5 months ago

Brazil’s real has fallen to its weakest level against the dollar since the currency was introduced in 1994, undercut by...

Read moreDetails
Brazil and Colombia voice concern as Venezuela bans opposition candidate

Brazil and Colombia voice concern as Venezuela bans opposition candidate

1 year ago
Brazil court votes to bar Bolsonaro from elections until 2030

Brazil court votes to bar Bolsonaro from elections until 2030

2 years ago
Lula wins Brazilian election, Bolsonaro has not conceded

Lula wins Brazilian election, Bolsonaro has not conceded

3 years ago
No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • European markets open cautiously amid global trade optimism
  • Cocktail of the week: Beach House Falmouth’s the harbour
  • Why 74% of banking customers are ready to leave
  • Bitcoin options could pave the path for new BTC price highs — Here is how
  • ‘Reckless lunatic’: Trump critics flabbergasted by his latest pick for a crucial post

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022

    Categories

    • Africa
    • AI
    • An diesem Tag
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Banking
    • Best chefs
    • Biden
    • Blockchain
    • Blockchain technology
    • Carbon
    • Central Banks
    • China
    • Climate
    • Climate & Energy
    • Coal
    • Cocktail of the week
    • Commodities
    • Corporate
    • Crypto
    • Deutsch
    • Deutsch PR
    • English PR
    • Europe
    • Focus on neobanking
    • Gas
    • Harris
    • History
    • India
    • Influential women
    • Invest and Rest
    • Italiano PR
    • Japan
    • Lifestyle
    • Market
    • Metaverse
    • MSTRpay
    • Neobanking
    • News
    • Newshub news
    • newshub special
    • newshub-special
    • NFT
    • Nobel Prizes 2024
    • Nuclear
    • Oil
    • Press
    • Press releases
    • Pressroom
    • Renewable
    • Russia
    • Solar
    • South America
    • South East Asia
    • Stock of the week
    • Stocks
    • Svensk PR
    • Tech
    • Trump
    • Trump trials
    • UFO
    • UK
    • UK News
    • Ukraine
    • US
    • US politics
    • Waves
    • WEX
    • Wind

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    Recent Posts

    • European markets open cautiously amid global trade optimism
    • Cocktail of the week: Beach House Falmouth’s the harbour
    • Why 74% of banking customers are ready to leave
    • Bitcoin options could pave the path for new BTC price highs — Here is how
    • ‘Reckless lunatic’: Trump critics flabbergasted by his latest pick for a crucial post

    Categories

    • Africa
    • AI
    • An diesem Tag
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Banking
    • Best chefs
    • Biden
    • Blockchain
    • Blockchain technology
    • Carbon
    • Central Banks
    • China
    • Climate
    • Climate & Energy
    • Coal
    • Cocktail of the week
    • Commodities
    • Corporate
    • Crypto
    • Deutsch
    • Deutsch PR
    • English PR
    • Europe
    • Focus on neobanking
    • Gas
    • Harris
    • History
    • India
    • Influential women
    • Invest and Rest
    • Italiano PR
    • Japan
    • Lifestyle
    • Market
    • Metaverse
    • MSTRpay
    • Neobanking
    • News
    • Newshub news
    • newshub special
    • newshub-special
    • NFT
    • Nobel Prizes 2024
    • Nuclear
    • Oil
    • Press
    • Press releases
    • Pressroom
    • Renewable
    • Russia
    • Solar
    • South America
    • South East Asia
    • Stock of the week
    • Stocks
    • Svensk PR
    • Tech
    • Trump
    • Trump trials
    • UFO
    • UK
    • UK News
    • Ukraine
    • US
    • US politics
    • Waves
    • WEX
    • Wind

    Archives

    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    WE/X WE/X WE/X
    newshub

    © 2023-2025
    A part of MSTRpay
    MSTRpay
    Legal & Disclosure

    • Newshub news
    • Markets
    • Investment
    • Fintech
    • Lifestyle

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    Please enter CoinGecko Free Api Key to get this plugin works.

    Add New Playlist

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Newshub news
      • Ukraine
    • Markets
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • Central Banks
      • China
      • Commodities
      • Corporate
      • Energy
        • Climate
        • Carbon
        • Coal
        • Disruptive
        • Gas
        • Nuclear
        • Oil
        • Solar
        • Water
        • Waves
        • Wind
        • Renewable
      • South America
      • South East Asia
      • Stock of the week
      • UK
      • US
      • Europe
      • Japan
    • Investment
      • Stock of the week
      • WEX – (Company links takes you to WEX)
        • Alt Kap Holding AB
        • Digital Network Holding, Inc.
        • Fantas-E AB
        • International Clean Energy Inc.
        • Intritum Partner Limited
        • Intritum Recycling GH Limited
        • MSTRpay AB
        • SWAP Services, Inc.
        • TC Unterhaltungselektronik AG
        • Universal Streaming Technologies – USTA
        • VMT Holding, Inc.
    • Fintech
      • AI
      • Banking
      • Blockchain
      • Crypto
      • MSTRpay
      • Neobanking
    • Lifestyle
      • Best chefs
      • Cocktail of the week
      • History
      • Influential women

    © 2023-2025
    A part of MSTRpay
    MSTRpay
    Legal & Disclosure