Ecuador: Journalist Tomas Beltran murdered despite warnings and protective measures

Journalist Tomas Beltran Conforme was shot dead on Sunday, 8 November, as he was parking his vehicle outside his home in Calceta, in the Western province of Manabi. According to the Ecuadorian press, several armed men arrived at the scene and shot him multiple times before fleeing. At the time of writing, the perpetrators had not been identified and the motive for the crime remained unknown.

Tomas Beltran published local news articles on his Facebook news page, Calcetines. The journalist, who had reported a first attack on his vehicle in 2023, had been covered by the prosecutor's office's protection programme for victims and witnesses since May 2025. He told RSF that he had been pressured to stop his journalistic investigations. The threats reportedly intensified after he filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office in April 2026 against the mayor of the Bolivar canton over alleged illicit enrichment. According to the Mesa de Articulación para la Protección de Periodistas (MAPP), a coalition of journalist-protection organisations in which RSF participates, he reportedly received threatening messages on 4 and 8 April after the complaint was leaked.

A few days later, RSF joined local organisations in efforts to relocate him from Calceta to Quito, the capital. After eventually settling in the city of Ambato, Tomas Beltran reported that the threats continued. He explained that his health, his identity as a member of the Montubio community and his family ties in Manabi made it difficult for him to remain away from his home.

In an alert published on 15 April 2026, Ecuadorian organisations together with RSF deemed the protection measures put in place for the journalist were "insufficient". RSF had also gathered concerns from Ecuadorian media professionals about the lack of funding and autonomy of the Mechanism for the Prevention and Protection of Journalistic Work, a state entity attached to the Council for Communication.