VZCZCXYZ0000
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DE RUEHQT #0553 0671339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 081339Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3800
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 5418
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1624
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9711
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 0401
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 0057
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS QUITO 000553 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM EC
SUBJECT: TWO ECUADORIAN JOURNALISTS KILLED 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Press reported the murders of two journalists 
on February 13 and February 14 in and around the Guayaquil 
area.  In both cases, no items were reported stolen and there 
have been no arrests.  In one case, the reporter had 
previously spoken out about youth gangs during his radio 
reports, and may have been murdered as a reprisal.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  Jose Luis Leon Desiderio, 43, was found dead as a result 
of three gunshot wounds late on February 13, after leaving 
his home to meet his wife at the bus stop.  Desiderio began 
his career began his journalism career 22 years ago working 
for the El Telegrafo newspaper.  Recently, he had also worked 
for various radio stations, including Radio Minutera, where 
he had given editorials against youth gangs.  On February 14, 
freelance photographer Raul Suarez Sandoval, was shot dead in 
Duran, southwest of Guayaquil.  Suarez, who contributed to 
the La Hora Durandena and La Prensa de Duran newspapers, 
received four gunshot wounds reportedly after leaving a 
telephone booth. 
 
¶3.  On March 7 PolOff spoke with Hector Espin, president of 
the National Union of Journalists; Juan Centurion, president 
of the National Union of Journalists- Guayas chapter, and 
Cesar Duque, lawyer for human rights organization CEDHU, 
about the cases.  Espin and Centurion believe the Desiderio 
murder could have been related to his commentaries about 
youth gangs and said Desiderio had received threatening phone 
calls.  Both thought, however, that the Suarez case was only 
a case of attempted robbery.  Duque thought it unlikely that 
the Desiderio murder was in response to his statements 
against youth gangs, as gang leaders would not likely be 
concerned with these comments. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶4.  Both murders occurred in high crime areas where these 
kinds of violent incidents are not uncommon.  In the 
Desiderio case, we cannot rule out the possibility that he 
was murdered as a reprisal for his public commentary against 
youth gangs. 
JEWELL