Ecuador: RSF condemns the murder of journalist Patricio Aguilar and calls for an urgent investigation
Patricio Ernesto Aguilar Vásquez, director of the community newspaper El Libertador de Quinindé, was murdered on 4 March 2025 in Quinindé, a town in the province of Esmeraldas. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns this crime and demands an immediate and thorough investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Patricio Ernesto Aguilar Vásquez, 55, was an experienced journalist with a career that spanned over 30 years. According to preliminary reports from the National Police, gunmen ambushed him inside a residence in the Fundo Limón neighborhood, a conflict-ridden area of Quinindé. They shot the journalist multiple times, leaving at least 27 shell casings at the crime scene.
Aguilar had received threats due to his reporting on violence in the region and investigations. His murder comes amid a surge in violence in Esmeraldas, where at least five violent deaths have been recorded in recent hours.
Patricio Aguilar’s assassination is a grave attack on press freedom in Ecuador. His work exposing crime and political corruption put him at risk, yet authorities failed to protect him. We demand a swift, credible investigation that not only brings those responsible to justice but also addresses the broader threats against journalists in the country. Ecuador cannot allow this cycle of violence and impunity to continue — concrete measures to guarantee press freedom and journalist safety must urgently be put in place.
Since 2006, Aguilar had led El Libertador de Quinindé, a digital media outlet covering politics and public security in the region. Just hours before his death, he reported on a shooting in Fundo Limón, the same area where he was killed the following day. In another post, he denounced a robbery at a local business, sharing images of the alleged perpetrators. Witnesses report that Aguilar received a phone call before he left his home and was ambushed.
