An Ecuadorian judge was shot dead during a state of emergency declared to fight organized crime, the Ecuadorian judiciary said.
It called the killing of Lady Pachar “a terrible attack on justice and the rule of law in Ecuador” in a statement released on Monday.
Pachar was shot that day while driving to a gym in the southwest of Machala town.
Two of his bodyguards were not present at the time of the incident, according to police in Machala, which is the capital of El Oro province on the border with Peru.
A police source told AFP on Tuesday that the judge received threats and was killed in retaliation for the release of gang members.
Luis Suárez / AFP via Getty Images
“The judiciary cannot do its job through intimidation or violence,” the Judicial Council of Ecuador said in a statement.
At least 16 judges or prosecutors have been killed in Ecuador since 2022, according to Human Rights Watch. Last October, a gunman on a motorcycle killed a judge in Ecuador while walking with his children to school.
The Ecuadoran Judges' Association condemned the killing of Pachar on Tuesday, writing on social media: “Without independent judges, there is no justice.”
About 70 percent of the drugs produced by Colombia and Peru, the world's largest and second largest cocaine producers, respectively, are shipped to Ecuador.
President Daniel Noboa, one of President Donald Trump's supporters on the continent, has prioritized targeting cocaine traffickers since he took office in 2023.
He deployed troops on the streets and in prisons, launched a crackdown on drug hotspots, and declared a general state of emergency — measures widely criticized by human rights groups. Despite his strict policies, however, homicides have only increased, reaching a record 9,216 violent deaths last year.
The US military is helping Ecuador target narco-terrorists
American commandos you just joined Ecuadorian soldiers in a joint operation aimed at dismantling a suspected criminal base used by a suspected narco-terrorist organization off the coast of the country.
The project, called Lanza Marina, focused on what is believed to be a speed boat area connected to Los Choneros, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The two US officials said the US military is working in advisory, assisting and accompanying roles. Ecuadorian partners as they argue the site, part of a wider effort to curb smuggling networks that rely on fast-moving sea routes.
In early March, the US and Ecuador were launched joint military operations against “selected terrorist organizations” in the South American country
