Published 15/08/2023 16:16 | Edited 8/16/2023 2:34 PM
Trade unionist Pedro Briones, historic leader of Rafael Correa’s Citizen Revolution (RC) movement, was shot dead by two assassins who drove by on a motorcycle in San Mateo, in the northern province of Esmeraldas, on the border of Ecuador and Colombia, this Monday- fair (14). The crime was olymically ignored by the local media conglomerates, which published almost nothing.
The media’s silence is explained by the attempt to link “correismo” with the murder, last week, of Fernando Villavicencio, one of the right-wing presidential candidates. The strategy aims to deny the responsibility of President Guillermo Lasso and the direct interests of the ultra-right with the bloodbath, particularly of the candidate Jan Topic, whose hallmark is the fascist speech in defense of a “mano dura” State.
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Pedro Briones was known for facing corporations in Esmeraldas, a very rich but overexploited province. He was part of the process of the Citizen Revolution, as Rafael Correa’s two periods of government became known, between 2007 and 2017. According to his party mates, he was especially a trainer of youth and a reference of struggle and political loyalty.
“When we had the betrayal of Mr. Moreno as President of the Republic and he turned his back not only on the political project of the Citizens’ Revolution, but on the Ecuadorian people, the first comrade who was persecuted by him was comrade Briones”, recalls the former congresswoman. Jhayaira Urresta, impeached for “cross-death” [a dissolução da Assembleia Nacional e convocação de eleições, que deu ao presidente mais seis meses de mandato para governar por decretos].
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“Ecuador is living its bloodiest era. This is due to the total abandonment of an incapable government and a state taken over by mafias. My solidarity embraces the family of companion Pedro Briones, who fell at the hands of violence”, declared candidate Luisa González, from the RC, stressing that “change is urgent”.
In the last municipal elections, two RC militants were murdered. A candidate for councilor in the province of Manabí, a few hours before the polls start, and a journalist, candidate for councilor in the province of Pichincha.
“The citizen’s Revolution is in mourning every day because they killed our comrades at the behest of the central government, as they killed comrade Briones yesterday”, denounces indignantly Jhayaira Urresta, candidate for re-election, despite everything.
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Agência ComunicaSul is covering the presidential elections and the National Assembly of Ecuador thanks to the support of the following entities: Hora do Povo newspaper, Diálogos do Sul, Barão de Itararé, Portal Vermelho, Correio da Cidadania, Agência Saiba Mais, Intersindical, Central dos Trabalhadores and Workers of Brazil (CTB), Single Central of Workers of Paraná (CUT-PR); Association of Social Workers and Psychologists of the Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo (AASPTJ-SP), Federation of Workers in Credit Companies of Paraná (FETEC-PR), Unions of Workers in Water, Waste and Environment of the State of São Paulo (Sintaema-SP) and Santa Catarina (Sintaema-SC), Union of Workers in the Heavy Construction Industries of the State of Paraná (Sintrapav-PR), Union of Official Education Teachers of the State of São Paulo ( Apeoesp Sudeste-Center), Union of Writers in the State of São Paulo, Union of Workers in the Federal Judiciary Power of Santa Catarina (Sintrajusc-SC); Union of Workers in the Judiciary Power of the State of Santa Catarina (Sinjusc-SC), popular mandate of councilor Werner Rempel (Santa Maria-RS) and dozens of individual contributions.
Source: vermelho.org.br
