The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio in August this year made international headlines. A campaigner who railed against organized crime and corruption, his murder in Quito was one act in a downward spiral of violence in Ecuador. Local gangs and international criminal organisations have increased their influence in politics, worsening already low-public trust in state institutions.

Over the course of two years, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, Ecuador’s criminality score has risen sharply, and globally it now sits 11th, levels of resilience fared no better and have dipped significantly.

In this episode, Thin will delve into these Index scores and discuss organized crime, politics, and the increase in violence in Ecuador.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Guest: Renato Rivera, Coordinador Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado

Links:

Ecuador Country Profile

Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

BBC News: Candidate in Ecuador's presidential election Fernando Villavicencio shot dead

El País: Mexican cartels linked to Ecuador violence: ‘Criminals have an incentive to say they belong to a renowned group’

The Guardian: ‘We should treat it as a war’: Ecuador’s descent into drug gang violence

Al Jazeera: Ecuador gang boss who threatened Villavicencio moved to high-security jail