The Government of Ecuador expressed this Sunday its condemnation of the shooting of the mayor of the coastal city of San Vicente, Brigitte García, and offered to do everything possible to find those responsible for this crime.
The Government of Ecuador repudiates the murder of the mayor and offers to go after those responsible
Posted On 25 Mar 2024
Noboa when decreeing the state of internal war, on January 8, 2024.
“We are working with the State Attorney General’s Office and we have ordered the National Police of Ecuador to carry out all actions that guarantee immediacy in the investigation, in order to find the material and intellectual authors” of the crime, the Ministries of Government (Politics) and the Interior.
These two portfolios, in their text, say that they “repudiate and condemn the criminal action” that took the lives of García and the Communication director of the Municipality of San Vicente, Jaime Loor, whose bodies were found in a vehicle near that city.
“Our heartfelt regret, we stand in solidarity with their families and reaffirm our commitment to use all the force of the State to not leave these crimes unpunished,” they added.
Likewise, they indicated that, despite these criminal actions, the Government confirms that it will not lower its guard in the “fight against terrorism, organized crime and political corruption.”
“In addition, we will strengthen our public order controls until we achieve security and peace for the benefit of Ecuadorians,” the letter added.
The crime of García and Loor occurred at a time when the state of emergency decreed by the Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, is in force in the country to stop the spiral of violence that was recorded at the beginning of the year.
Brigitte García, 27 years old, was considered the youngest mayor in the country and was an activist in the Citizen Revolution movement, led by former president Rafael Correa (2007-2017).
García’s crime occurred less than two months after the shooting murder of Diana Carnero, councilor of the coastal municipality of Naranjal, in the province of Guayas, which occurred on February 7, and also in the midst of the state of emergency.
Carnero, 29, was shot dead by hitmen in the middle of a public street in Naranjal, a municipality near the port city of Guayaquil.
The murder of Carnero, who was also a Correísta militant, joined a long list of authorities who have been victims of hitmen in recent months in Ecuador, including prosecutors, judges and politicians such as the mayor of Manta, Agustín Intriago, and the politician and former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
At the beginning of January, when he had not even been in power for two months, President Noboa declared a state of emergency and decreed a situation of internal armed conflict to try to stop the spiral of violence in prisons and on the streets on a national scale, attributed to organized crime groups.
By declaring the “internal armed conflict”, the Government identified at least 22 transnational organized crime groups and classified them “as terrorist organizations” and “belligerent non-state actors.”
García’s crime also occurred at a time when the country is engaged in a process of popular consultation and referendum that will take place on April 21.
Among the issues that will be voted on in this consultation include questions about the participation of the Armed Forces in supporting the Police against organized crime, allowing the extradition of Ecuadorians, establishing constitutional courts, recognizing international arbitrations and making the labor market more flexible. with temporary and hourly contracts. EFE
