politics
Postmortem finds activist died from head blow and strangulation
A postmortem examination determined that a Polish activist found dead in Ecuador died from blunt force trauma and strangulation. Ecuadorian officials initially described the death as a suicide before autopsy results were released.
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A postmortem examination conducted in Guayaquil determined that Monika Silva Koniuszek died from a blow to the head and strangulation. The 41-year-old activist was found on the floor of her home in Montañita with a noose around her neck on 8 June. Ecuador's interior minister stated on 9 June that initial evidence at the scene supported a suicide determination.
The autopsy results released on Friday contradicted that assessment.
Background on the investigation Silva Koniuszek had been investigating Noboa Trading, a fruit company owned by the family of Ecuador's president. Colleagues said she was examining allegations that cocaine had been found in banana shipping containers belonging to the company.
She had also reported on land trafficking in Santa Elena province and had delivered a dossier of allegations to the U.S. embassy in Quito shortly before her death. Friends stated she had received death threats connected to these investigations.
International response The Polish prosecutor's office requested mutual legal assistance from Ecuadorian authorities. Poland's embassy in Peru called for a swift and transparent investigation into the circumstances of her death. Local residents in Montañita created a memorial with photographs and flowers. Street artists painted a mural and neighbors renamed a street in her honor.
