Ecuador bishops condemn
journalist killings
Colleagues of the Ecuadorean journalists and driver kidnapped and killed by renegade FARC rebels hold a vigil.- AFP |
Bishops in Ecuador are calling for peace following the
abduction and killing of three newspaper staff by armed dissidents.
By Richard Marsden
Ecuadorian bishops have expressed their “deep
concern” and “sorrow” at the killing of two journalists and their
driver who were kidnapped after crossing their country’s border into
Colombia.
A statement from the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference has
called for an end to violence and injustice by armed political and social
groups following the “violent murder” of the team of three who had gone to the
border to investigate a rise in drug-fuelled violence.
Prayers for the dead
The deaths of reporter Javier Ortega, photographer Paul
Rivas and their driver Efraín Segarra were confirmed last week by Ecuador’s
President Lenin Moreno.
The trio, who worked for the newspaper El Comercio, were
kidnapped by dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after
they crossed a military checkpoint in the province of Esmeraldas in northern
Ecuador on the border with southern Colombia.
In their statement sent to the Fides News Agency, the
Bishops of Ecuador express their “heartfelt prayer for the eternal rest of our
brothers” and talk of their “closeness and solidarity with their families for
such irreparable human losses, as well as to all journalists who risk their
lives to make us know the truth of the facts.”
Call for solutions
The Bishops call on the governments of Ecuador and Colombia
to work on the creation and consolidation of “more dignified, more fraternal
and fair living conditions, particularly in the border area, developing sources
of work and social assistance policies, and strengthening security systems.”
The statement urges the armed groups “to put aside the use
of force in order to overcome injustices and to adhere to the initiatives of
dialogue and respect to build a genuine democracy free of all forms of
corruption and violence.” Those who make money by inhumane activities are urged
“not to submit to economic interests deriving from human trafficking and the
production and trafficking of arms and toxic-additive substances.”
“Difficult path of peace”
In their message, the Bishops reaffirm their “firm
commitment to continue working for a more peaceful, just and supportive
society,” since they are aware of the concerning situation in the country,
including “the weakness of institutional structures, economic crisis and
corruption.”
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