Ecuadorian police arrest former presidential candidate
- Opposition Citizens' Revolution demands authorities disclose whereabouts of Luisa Gonzalez, grant access to lawyers
Yükleniyor…
Yükleniyor…
- Opposition Citizens' Revolution demands authorities disclose whereabouts of Luisa Gonzalez, grant access to lawyers
By Maryam Ashalem de Andres
ISTANBUL (AA) - Ecuadorian police arrested former presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez in Manabi province on Thursday, the Primicias news outlet reported, citing the National Police's Zone 4 command.
The operation took place in the canton of Chone, it said.
The Attorney General's Office said authorities carried out operations in the Manabi and Pichincha provinces, executing detention orders against three people investigated for alleged money laundering.
The investigation also examines possible irregularities in political campaign financing.
The opposition Citizens' Revolution party and Gonzalez's legal team denounced her detention as arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Its leader, Gabriela Rivadeneira, described the arrest as a kidnapping and demanded Gonzalez's immediate release.
Citizens' Revolution said authorities had not disclosed where they were holding Gonzalez or allowed her lawyers access to her.
It described the situation as a violation of due process and fundamental human rights.
The party demanded that authorities immediately disclose her whereabouts and guarantee access for her defense lawyers and human rights observers.
It also said it requested urgent precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Citizens' Revolution said it notified international organizations about what it described as a breach of democratic guarantees in Ecuador.
It accused authorities of political persecution, saying the case concerns a $6,100 discrepancy in campaign accounts.
Gonzalez represented Citizens' Revolution in the 2023 presidential election, losing the runoff to President Daniel Noboa.
Former President Rafael Correa, founder of Citizens' Revolution and an ally of Gonzalez, also condemned her arrest in a post on US social media company X.
Authorities havee not publicly detailed all the allegations against Gonzalez or confirmed whentheys wouldpresent formal chargesd at the time of reporting.
Mariam Ashalem De Andres