Villavicencio’s murder shows the serious crisis of violence in Ecuador, according to HRW

AUTOPLAY

They assassinate the candidate for the presidency of Ecuador Fernando Villavicencio.The Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, second in the vote intention polls, was assassinated this Wednesday during a shootout while he was carrying out a campaign event in a central sector of Quito, reported relatives of the candidate.

The organization recalled that the Andean country “needs urgent security policies.”

The assassination yesterday in Quito of the Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has highlighted “the serious crisis of violence in the country”, which is not being solved with “the continuous states of emergency”, the organization said today Human Rights Watch (HRW)

In a statement, the organization recalled that the Andean country “needs urgent security policies that respect human rights” to curb homicide figures that have almost doubled between 2021 and 2022 and are, with 25 homicides/100,000 inhabitants, well above the world average (6/100,000).

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HRW survey on security in Ecuador

The organization cites a recent survey that showed that two out of three Ecuadorians do not feel safe walking alone at nighta percentage higher than any Latin American country, and also alludes to the fact that extortion – practiced on small businesses, transporters or health workers – has doubled in 2023, judging by the reported cases.

The government needs to implement an effective security policy

The response of the government of Guillermo Lasso has been declare states of exception in some cities -with the consequent suspension of constitutional rights-, and now throughout the national territory, but this “has not made Ecuadorians safer,” says HRW.

(You can also read: Fernando Villavicencio: what is known about the 6 Colombians captured after the murder)

“The government needs to implement an effective and legitimate security policy that protects its citizens and that seeks to dismantle organized crime groups,” the organization concludes.

EFE