Community Journalist Patricio Aguilar Murdered in Esmeraldas

Patricio Ernesto Aguilar Vásquez, director of the community newspaper El Libertador de Quinindé, is murdered in Quinindé, Esmeraldas province, after receiving threats over his reporting on local gang violence. His killing is part of a broader surge in violence against Ecuadorian journalists, with 131 attacks recorded in 2024 alone.