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Ecuador violence against justice officials sparks concern from UN – JURIST

A UN official expressed concern Wednesday over the recent wave of violence against justice officials in Ecuador. Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said that four criminal prosecutors were assassinated between 2022 and 2023.In June, prosecutor Leonardo Palacios died in these attacks. Palacios was shot while leaving a murder trial near Guayaquil. Two other prosecutors and a judge, whose work the UN says dealt with investigating corruption and organized crime, were killed in that time span as well.While these were the most extreme cases, other prosecutors and judges have reported an increase in intimidation tactics. According to the UN, these have included bomb threats and physical attacks.“Judges and prosecutors must have the security they need to carry out their work,” said Satterthwaite. “I urge the authorities to ensure that all attacks and threats are investigated, and that all judges and prosecutors in Ecuador are adequately protected and able to do their jobs.”The UN also says that the situation in Ecuador has become even riskier for justice officials after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Villavicencio spent his career criticizing the hold of corruption and crime in his country. Less than a week after Villavicencio’s murder, a political activist from progressive leftist party Revolución Ciudadana (RC5) was killed as well.