César Suárez, the Ecuadorian prosecutor who investigated national organized crime, was shot dead on Wednesday in Guayas province. The Judicial Council announced this on Thursday, international news agencies report. Suárez was in charge of the investigation into last week’s hostage situation on the set of a public television channel, in which thirteen people were arrested.
Ecuador is in a spiral of violence. Earlier this month, two hundred prison guards were taken hostage in prison riots, several police officers were kidnapped and there were several explosions in Ecuadorian cities. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency two weeks ago for a period of 60 days and imposed a nighttime curfew. He also formally designated 22 gangs in the country as terrorist organizations.
Suárez, who was shot in his car on the way to court, previously conducted investigations into organized crime. For example, he was involved in the Metastasis case, in which a major Ecuadorian drug lord was investigated. According to Attorney General Diana Salazar, the violence will not hinder the Ecuadorian justice system in its task of tackling organized criminal gangs.
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