Ecuadorian Prosecutor Alexandra Bravo Killed While Probing US Boat Strikes

Ecuadorian prosecutor Alexandra Bravo was fatally shot on June 14 in the coastal city of Manta. A hitman on a black motorcycle opened fire on her and her sister, killing both.

Bravo had been investigating a series of U.S. boat strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed at least 221 people since September. Survivors of three Ecuadorian fishing vessels reported being tortured by gunmen in U.S. military uniforms aboard a U.S.-flagged patrol ship.

The investigation was described by journalist Camila Lourdes Galarza as evidence of a growing U.S.-backed military dictatorship in Ecuador. Human Rights Watch’s Americas director Juanita Goebertus said the Trump administration has deepened security cooperation with Ecuador without providing transparency about the cooperation. The assassination has prompted calls for an independent probe into the U.S. military campaign and the Ecuadorian authorities’ role.