UPDATE - Ecuador's former presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez accuses Noboa of political persecution
- Gonzalez urges unity after arrest as Petro denounces alleged dictatorship
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- Gonzalez urges unity after arrest as Petro denounces alleged dictatorship
ADDS GONZALEZ'S STATEMENTS, REACTIONS FROM PETRO, MORALES; DETAILS OF INVESTIGATION
By Maryam Ashalem de Andres
ISTANBUL (AA) - Luisa Gonzalez accused President Daniel Noboa's government of political persecution and restrictions on freedoms Thursday following her arrest.
Gonzalez said the country had reached an “unsustainable situation,” accusing the government of economic mismanagement, widespread corruption and violence.
She alleged that political prisoners were being mistreated and tortured, without providing further details in the message.
“Today, I may be arrested on absurd charges,” Gonzalez wrote on US social media company X, urging progressive forces to unite in defense of democracy.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also condemned Gonzalez's arrest, describing Ecuador as a dictatorship that began with electoral fraud.
Petro said the country's so-called shield was not a defense against drug trafficking but “a shield against democracy,” without providing details.
Ecuadorian police arrested Gonzalez in the coastal province of Manabi on Thursday, Ecuadorian news outlet Primicias reported, citing the National Police's Zone 4 command.
The operation took place in the canton of Chone.
The arrest is linked to an investigation into alleged money laundering and irregularities in campaign financing.
The Attorney General's Office said it issued detention orders for three people in operations in Manabi and Pichincha provinces.
The Citizens' Revolution party, of which Gonzalez is a member, and her legal team denounced her detention as arbitrary. Party leader Gabriela Rivadeneira called it a kidnapping and demanded her immediate release.
The party also demanded that authorities disclose Gonzalez's whereabouts and grant her lawyers access.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales also expressed solidarity with Gonzalez, describing her detention as unjust in a post on X.
Morales alleged that Gonzalez and other left-wing figures were targets of a regional campaign to persecute political leaders and criminalize social movements.
Gonzalez ran against Noboa in the 2023 and 2025 presidential elections. She lost the 2023 runoff to Noboa.
Authorities had not publicly detailed all the allegations against Gonzalez at the time of reporting or confirmed when they would present formal charges.
Mariam Ashalem De Andres