Ecuadorian journalist Tomás Beltrán shot dead in Calceta, Manabí
The director of digital media outlet Calcetines was shot on 8 November while entering his home in Calceta. He was the sixth journalist murdered in Ecuador in 2025.
Journalist with protection measures killed at the entrance of his home
Journalist Tomás Beltrán, director of digital media outlet Calcetines, was shot dead on the night of 8 November as he entered his home in his vehicle in Calceta, Bolívar canton, Manabí province. This was reported on Monday by the press freedom NGO Fundamedios, according to biobiochile.cl citing Radio France Internationale.
Beltrán had specialised in reporting cases of corruption in local governments. Last April he received death threats after denouncing the mayor of Bolívar canton for illicit enrichment. Since 2025 he had been enrolled in the Protection System for Victims and Witnesses of Ecuador's Public Prosecutor's Office.
César Ricaurte, director of Fundamedios, told RFI that the journalist operated in one of the provinces "most impacted by the actions of criminal groups". Ricaurte lamented that the security measures had not proved sufficient: "He had a history of constant threats. We had managed from civil society to have security measures strengthened (…) it was basically an announced crime, it had been warned about and ultimately the security measures that had been adopted, well, they did not work".
The Ecuadorian foundation Journalists without Chains counted six journalists murdered in Ecuador during 2025, and denounces the impunity surrounding these crimes.
Source: Google News EC — Crime