Journalist killed in ambush in Ecuador – had reported mayor
Tomás Beltrán, owner of the website Calcetines, was executed outside his home in Manabí province. He had reported a mayor for illicit enrichment.
Journalist executed outside his home in Manabí province
Journalist Tomás Beltrán was shot dead by armed assailants outside his residence in Manabí province, Ecuador. The news was announced by Fundamedios, a non-governmental organisation for the protection of press freedom, according to Philenews.
According to a report by Vistazo, the perpetrators had set up an ambush on Sunday evening. They opened fire repeatedly as Beltrán exited his vehicle.
Beltrán was the owner of the news website Calcetines. Last April he had received death threats, following complaints he had made against the mayor of the city of Bolívar, Ledy Munios, for illicit enrichment. During that period, two of his colleagues were also murdered, a fact that had intensified concerns for his safety.
From 2025, the journalist had been included in the System for the Protection of Victims and Witnesses of Ecuador's General Prosecutor's Office.
The Inter American Press Association condemned the murder and called for "immediate and thorough investigation" to identify the perpetrators, emphasising the history of threats and intimidation that had preceded the killing.
According to the organisation Periodistas sin Cadenas (Journalists Without Chains), Beltrán is the sixth journalist to be murdered in Ecuador during 2025.
Source: Philenews