Monika Silva Koniuszek, the Polish activist known for her anti-corruption stance, has been found dead in her home in Montañita, a coastal town in Ecuador’s Santa Elena province. The case has raised serious suspicions that her death may have resulted from efforts to stop her investigations into corruption and organized crime.
The 41-year-old, mother of two young daughters, was found on June 8 collapsed on the floor with a rope around her neck. At first, local authorities treated the case as a suicide, but the autopsy carried out in Guayaquil determined that she died from blows to the head and strangulation, ruling out suicide.
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Human rights lawyer Lita Martínez said that “based on the forensic reports, we are certain this was a violent death,” rejecting the initial version given by officials.
According to colleagues and activists who knew her well, Silva Koniuszek had spent recent years publicly denouncing environmental crimes, land grabs and corruption in Ecuador, often in cooperation with local journalists. Earlier, she had said that “you do not have to be born in Ecuador to love it and defend what is right.”
Her friends say she was among the most resolute voices in the battle against corruption. According to them, death threats against her were constant, but she never stopped exposing abuses.
According to what her associates have disclosed, the activist had begun investigating Noboa Trading, a company owned by the family of Ecuador’s right-wing president, Daniel Noboa. She had raised suspicions of drug smuggling and corruption in the banana export chain. Shortly before her death, she had also submitted a file containing allegations to the U.S. embassy in Quito.
It is also reported that she was examining suspected land-trafficking networks in Santa Elena province, as well as possible links between local officials and criminal organizations.
Her death has also prompted reactions in Poland, her country of origin, where authorities have asked Ecuadorian institutions for an independent and transparent investigation. Meanwhile, the Polish embassy has underlined the importance of protecting activists and journalists who expose corruption and organized crime.
