Quito, Nov 6 (IANS) Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a new 60-day state of emergency in five coastal provinces and three municipalities in the central provinces of Cotopaxi and Bolivar, to quell “grave internal unrest” sparked by extreme violence from organised crime.
The decree, signed on Tuesday and effective from Wednesday, allows security forces to enter and search homes without a warrant and suspends the right to private communication and correspondence in the provinces of Manabi, Guayas, Santa Elena, Los Rios and El Oro, all located in the coastal region.
The measure also extends to the municipalities of La Mana in Cotopaxi, and Las Naves and Echeandia in Bolivar in a bid to strengthen security and restore public order in areas hardest hit by violent crime, Xinhua News Agency reported.
These parts of the country were already under a state of emergency issued in August and renewed for 30 days on October 6.
Earlier in October, an Ecuadorian criminal court judge was shot dead in the town of Montecristi, in western Manabi province, where violent crime has surged, local media reported.
Judge Marcos Mendoza was shot to death outside a school while dropping off his children, according to his relatives.
Preliminary reports indicate that an armed assailant on a motorcycle intercepted the judge and opened fire.
Police officers cordoned off the area and collected ballistic evidence as part of the investigation.
The judge was linked to an alleged money laundering case under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, said the report.
More than a dozen people involved in the case are being prosecuted, including Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias “Fito,” the country’s main drug trafficker and the leader of the organised crime group Los Choneros.
The Ecuadorian Judges’ Association condemned Mendoza’s killing in a statement, calling for a thorough investigation and urgent measures to ensure the safety of judicial officials.
At least 15 judges or prosecutors have been killed in Ecuador since 2022, according to Human Rights Watch.
–IANS
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