Ecuador, protests over the arrest of former left-wing candidate Gonzalez

Dozens of supporters of the left-wing Citizens' Revolution movement have taken to the streets of Ecuador to demand the release of Luisa Gonzalez, a former presidential candidate arrested as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. The prosecutor's office accuses her of alleged crimes related to the financing of the 2023 electoral campaign. The protests took place in front of judicial and police buildings in Quito and Guayaquil, after the call for mobilization launched by the movement.

Since the beginning of this year, Gonzalez, a member of the movement founded by former president Rafael Correa, had been under investigation in a case related to alleged cash funds from the Venezuela of then president Nicolas Maduro. The new investigation instead concerns hypothetical campaign financing through a company of the current mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Alvarez, detained as part of other proceedings.

Gonzalez lost the 2023 and 2025 elections to President Daniel Noboa.

The Americas director of Human Rights Watch, Juanita Goebertus, expressed "concern" about the arrest, calling on the authorities to guarantee the politician the right to defense and respect for due process. Goebertus recalled the political and electoral climate, also marked by changes in the voting calendar and the cancellation or suspension of parties. The Correista movement has long denounced political persecution against its members.