Two journalists who exposed corruption and drug trafficking forced into exile Global Voices Advox

Image: Mónica Velásquez and Andersson Boscán. The original video has been deleted, but has been uploaded to other platforms. Screenshot of the video “La Posta”, uploaded to the Church of Ciudadana Facebook page. Fair use.

With tears in their eyes and sadness and sorrow on their faces, Ecuadorian journalist couple Mónica Velásquez and Andersson Boscán announced their departure from the country on the night of September 10, 2024, through a pre-recorded video that they showed to the audience of the digital journalism platform La Posta.

These journalists have conducted several investigations into the alleged corruption of high-ranking officials in various government agencies in Ecuador. However, Andersson Boscán and Luis Vivanco, founders of La Posta, have been criticized for a perceived “lack of journalistic ethics” in some of their actions.

They were forced to seek political asylum in Canada to protect their own lives and those of their young daughters, and thanked international organizations that reached out amid persecution and threats.

In 2021 and 2023, Fundamedios, an organization that defends freedom of expression, revealed threats against the two journalists. They accused the National Intelligence Directorate of the National Police and the Strategic Intelligence Center of monitoring the journalists’ daily routines and guarding the places where they and their daughters frequented. All the monitoring they reveal is detailed in a report released by the Attorney General’s office. This document appears to contain instructions to “kill” them.

However, the police agency involved responded in a proposition: “We firmly reject any form of persecution and threat that endangers the life of a citizen (…)”. The former commander of Ecuador’s national police, Fausto Salinas, also denied in an interview that the government of Guillermo Lasso had ordered him to keep an eye on journalists.

Investigations by La Posta that revealed corruption

In 2020, Andersson Boscán, Mónica Velásquez and the La Posta team visited prisons in Ecuador to document the activities of organized crime and criminal gang leaders behind bars.

Their investigation included the story of a criminal gang leader. Journalists blocked his face for his safety, but after his October 2022 murder in a prison massacre, Boscan revealed the identity of the Ecuadorian drug trafficking leader he interviewed: Leandro Norero, aka “The Boss.”

The reports were published after an attack in which 14 police officers were injured in 2018. This attack was followed by several subsequent prison crises. Images of prisoners playing football with the head of a decapitated man went viral on social networks.

La Posta’s reports documented the lack of implementation of government policies in the prison system by the Ministry of Public Affairs, then headed by María Paula Romo. The platform was highly critical of the former minister’s management. In October 2020, Romo was reprimanded and dismissed by the National Assembly for violation of duties for the use and abuse of force by the police during the October 2019 protests.

In January 2023, during the government of Guillermo Lasso, journalists Andersson Boscán and Mónica Velásquez presented a new investigation: “El Gran Padrino” (The Great Godfather). This journalistic investigation was a finalist for the Gabo Awards in the “coverage” category. The journalists also wrote a book.

The investigation brought to light audio recordings of private conversations about the alleged capture of the state by drug trafficking. This journalistic investigation led to the beginning of the impeachment process in the National Assembly against then-President Guillermo Lasso. The process was intended to remove and reprimand the president for alleged corruption.

On May 17, 2023, Lasso was forced to dissolve the National Assembly. Together with his ministerial cabinet, Lasso announced his decision to activate the mechanism of “muerte cruzada” (“mutual death”) and denied all accusations against him.

See also: Ecuador revokes visa of critical Cuban-Ecuadorian journalist

Journalistic ethical dilemmas

On December 18, 2023, the Public Prosecutor’s Office published an extensive expert analysis of Leandro Norero’s telephone data after his murder. This was part of an investigation into an alleged corruption scandal involving the judiciary, prison service, police and customs in connection with drug trafficking.

The chat logs contain conversations between journalist Andersson Boscán and Norero. The conversations reveal a close and trusting relationship between the journalist and the drug trafficker, who offered to help him “activate eyes and ears” in the public institutions he supposedly controlled. Boscán tells Norero that he is only interested in “politics” and not in drug trafficking.

Boscán has faced criticism and questions from traditional media, journalists, politicians, social network users and foundations that defend press freedom in Ecuador. The strong criticism of the journalist’s close ties to sources linked to drug trafficking caused outrage amid the violence that Ecuador is experiencing and opened a debate on journalistic ethics.

In five chapters in podcast format, Boscán opens his journalistic work and justifies the “pampering” relationship with Leandro Norero; his telephone conversation with Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito”, leader of the gang “Los Choneros”; and Nain Massuh, alias “El Turco”, investigated for corruption in the electricity sector. This last investigation revealed to the country the alleged links between drug trafficking and government officials, contracts and the sale of positions within state companies in the government of Guillermo Lasso.

A pinned tweet on Andersson Boscán’s X profile reads:

No witness is an accomplice of a mafia. Estoy con la democracia.

I will not be an accomplice of a mafia. I am for democracy.

But how committed to the social interest is the journalistic practice of the La Posta team? Below are two specific cases of highly questionable journalistic practices.

On July 4, 2021, journalists Andersson Boscán and Luis Vivanco (owners of La Posta) opened a public television program by throwing darts at a photo of the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), Leonidas Iza. The violent messages calling the indigenous leader a “son of a bitch” provoked a barrage of criticism. As a result, the government of Lenin Moreno canceled their program and they were forced to apologize.

In another case, Boscán confirmed in his usual morning news “Café la Posta” that the state’s attorney general, Diana Salazar, had not plagiarized 40 percent of her doctoral thesis, but “only 6 percent by chance”, which would be morally “allowable”. However, an international watchdog formed by renowned academics confirmed the plagiarism of the thesis, a requirement for obtaining her law degree and applying for the position she currently holds.

‘Social networks make a lot of noise’

Today, La Posta journalists criticize the Attorney General of the State Diana Salazar for allegedly prosecuting them for exposing the activities of companies allegedly controlled by the Albanian mafia — real estate companies dedicated to the purchase of goods with money obtained from drug trafficking. A year after the release of their investigation “El Gran Padrino,” La Posta criticizes the Attorney General’s office for not having requested the closure of these companies.

Furthermore, Boscán accuses Diana Salazar of collaborating directly with the Albanian mafia: “You could have your friends take me out.” The journalist warns against having files that could implicate the Attorney General.

Diana Salazar only made a statement to celebrate the decision of the plenary session of the National Assembly to suspend the impeachment proceedings against her. Salazar chose to close her X (formerly Twitter) account, arguing that: “social networks (…) make a lot of noise.”

Screenshot of the tweet from the Attorney General of State X before he closed her account.

The journalists said for now that they will continue their journalistic work outside Ecuador. This is the second time they have been forced to flee due to death threats. In 2023, they also left the country due to threats against their lives.