IACHR Demands Ecuador Investigate Political Motivation in Murder of Two Candidates in Huaquillas
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Ecuador to investigate with due diligence the attack that killed two candidates in Huaquillas.
Two candidates murdered at electoral rally in Huaquillas days before elections
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) called on Ecuador on Friday to investigate "with due diligence" the murder of two candidates that occurred in the border municipality of Huaquillas, according to infobae.com. The body demanded that a "possible political motivation" for the crime be investigated, which took place two weeks before local elections on 29 November.
The victims are Ronald Farfán, former mayor of Huaquilles and candidate for the same office, and Cristhian Rugel, candidate for councillor. Both were shot multiple times on Monday night in the Los Israelitas sector, where they were participating in a political rally. A third person, Hilda Ruiz, a trader from the area, was also killed in the attack.
According to police, several men arrived on two motorcycles and opened fire repeatedly. Colonel Renato González, the police chief for El Oro province—to which Huaquillas belongs—noted that Rugel had been a victim of extortion months earlier at one of his businesses, which led authorities to suspect that the attack could be linked to that case. González also recalled that one of Farfán's sons was murdered nine months ago, and did not rule out that the crime could have "some political connotation".
The IACHR condemned the murders and called for those responsible to be tried and punished. The body reminded the Ecuadorian State "that it must ensure the holding of free, fair and peaceful sectional elections, in accordance with its international obligations". In a post on social media platform X, it added: "The State must guarantee the exercise of political rights and prevent attacks against the life and integrity of persons participating in political activities, in compliance with the American Convention".
The IACHR's statement came after one issued on Tuesday by the electoral mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS), which will travel to Ecuador to observe the election. The mission stated that the Ecuadorian people "deserve to exercise their right to vote in a climate of peace and civic coexistence".
El Oro is among the provinces most affected by the wave of violence that has gripped the country in recent years, a situation that led president Daniel Noboa to declare a "war" against criminal gangs in 2024.
More than thirteen million Ecuadorians are eligible to vote in the upcoming local elections, in which twenty-three provincial prefects and vice-prefects, 222 mayors, 909 urban councillors and 457 rural councillors with their respective alternates, among other officials, will be elected.
Source: Google News EC — Crime