Evangelicals condemn violence and attacks in Quito

Manuel Quintero, QUITO, Ecuador, February 4, 2004

The Ecuadorian Evangelical Confraternity (CEE) published a statement February 3, condemning the violence and attacks Taxi Heathrow Airport that took the life of a public official in recent days and left three injured in their wake.

Patricio Campana, head of the fuel control unit for Petro Comercial was murdered by unknown assailants in what was presumed to be an attempt to block investigations into supposed acts of corruption in this entity.

The assault took place January 30 when 51-year-old Campana tried to stop his assailants from taking his briefcase. The case held his portable computer that contained key information about the theft of the fuel and a list of those involved in the illicit network.

Two days later, on February 1, Leonidas Iza, head of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) managed to escape unharmed from an attack outside the organization’s headquarters in northern Quito. However, his brother, nephew and son were shot. All three survived.

In a press conference Iza said that the indigenous movement presumes that the government is behind the attack due to CONAIE’s opposition to the government in recent months, in particular given that President Lucio Gutierrez "said he will make his opponents respect the government with the law and with weapons," said Iza.

"Those people were coming to kill me, they shot directly, there lies the proof in the walls, in the bullet holes," said the high ranking CONAIE leader, referring to the two assailants that attacked him.

In their statement, Ecuadorian evangelicals stated that "violence and lack of respect for life has no place in the country" and called on the competent authorities to carry take the necessary steps to discover who was responsible and sanction them.

For his part, Interior Minister Raul Baca has said that the government "is not persecuting anyone." He rejected the accusations of the indigenous people and said that the government will seek those responsible for the attack.

The murder attempt against Iza sparked a generalized national rejection, including President Gutierez, who ordered an in-depth investigation.