Update on assassination of Raul Rodriguez Colonel

I've been listening to Radio Sucre for the last several hours and the impression I get, from the call-ins and testimonials, is of a man well respected in the community and dedicated to the struggle for social justice, which was informed by his strong Christian beliefs. Calls have been coming in all day, and it's notable that many were from people whose views differed from Rodriguez, but who nonetheless respected his integrity as a journalist, and who were outraged by his murder.

One of the callers made an important point: that few people in Ecuador have televisions, but that nearly everyone has a radio. The implication is that the political debate reaches a far wider audience via radio, and thus radio personalities have more influence than their television counterparts. This is worth bearing in mind when you recall the government's move to suspend radio licences, and shut down unlicenced stations several months ago. A few of the callers pointed to the government's hostility towards the press as laying the groundwork for the attack, although no one came out and blamed them directly, and it seems highly unlikely it came from that quarter. That it was politically motivated is a reasonable conclusion though, given the nature of the attack, and the high profile of its victim.

What's significant about this event is its singularity. According to data compiled by The International Press Institute (IPI) http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi there were no deaths of journalists in Ecuador from 1997 (the first year for which they provide data) until 2004. In 2005, a Chilean reporter died as a result of asphyxia from tear gas while covering a protest, and in 2006 a reporter was targeted in an apparent hit by organized crime, which was his beat. 2007 shows no deaths, likewise 2008 up to this moment.

In short, this appears to be the first targeted political assassination of a journalist in over ten years. Compared to some nations in Latin America (Colombia, Mexico), attacks on journalists are rare in Ecuador. For that reason alone, this is a grave moment in their history, and will be regarded as such. How the government responds will be extremely important in the days ahead, given their generally poor relationship with the press. If maximum efforts aren't forthcoming, it will undoubtably turn public opinion against them, and at a time they can least afford it.

All in all, a very sad day for Ecuador.

ebear