MATAJE — 2018 · Murder
The Kidnapping and Murder of the El Comercio Team
Reporter Javier Ortega, photographer Paúl Rivas and driver Efraín Segarra of the Quito-based newspaper El Comercio travelled to Esmeraldas province to report on violence along the Colombian border. On the morning of 26 March 2018 they were kidnapped in Mataje by the Colombian armed group Frente Oliver Sinisterra. The group released a video demanding the release of its members jailed in Ecuador. The #NosFaltan3 campaign spread across the country. On 13 April 2018 President Lenín Moreno confirmed that the three had been killed. Their bodies were found in June 2018 in rural Tumaco, Colombia. The case left a deep mark as the first time journalists in Ecuador were kidnapped and killed while working.
- Date
- 2018
- Place
- Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Mataje, EC
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 1.3600, -78.7300 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 26 March 2018The three-member team was kidnapped in Mataje.
- April 2018The kidnappers released a video with demands; the #NosFaltan3 campaign grew.
- 13 April 2018President Moreno confirmed the three had been killed.
- 21 June 2018Bodies were found in the Tumaco area of Colombia.
- 25 June 2018Colombian prosecutors confirmed their identities.
Sources
- El Universo — Aún nos faltan 3 eluniverso.com ↗
- El Colombiano — Perfil de Guacho, quien secuestró y asesinó a periodistas ecuatorianos elcolombiano.com ↗
- Wikipedia (ES) — Secuestro y asesinato de periodistas de El Comercio es.wikipedia.org ↗
- El Universo
- El Colombiano
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.