Los Ríos wrestler wins Olympic silver; Venezuelan refugees face retaliation; Noboa imposes curfews in high-crime areas; Assembly ends impeachment

Lucía Yépez won the silver medal Thursday in the women’s 53kg category wrestling competition at the Paris Olympics. Yépez, from Los Ríos Province, was defeated by Japan’s Akari Fujinami in the championship match. On Wednesday, Yépez advanced to the final with a victory over Annika Wendle of Germany.

The medal was the third won by an Ecuadorian at the 2024 Olympic games.

Yépez’s road to the Olympics has been the subject of several international media stories. The daughter of a poor mother, she sold pencils and candy to support her family as well as pay for her training and travel to Ecuador competitions. Although she qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a training injury forced her out of the competition.

Olympic silver medalist Lucía Yépez

Following her second-place finish Thursday, Yépez sent a victory message to her mother who was unable to travel to Paris. “Mom, I am an Olympic medalist. Because of the money I won, you won’t have to work so hard, and I will buy you a house.”

Yépez’s prize money amounts to $125,000.

Venezuelan refugees face retaliation
According to organizations representing Venezuelan refugees in Ecuador, the government of Nicolas Marduro is punishing refugees whose families are protesting the result of the July 28 presidential election.

Betzabeth Jaramillo, president of the ‘Yo Te Apoyo’ Foundation, claims that at least 762 Venezuelans in Ecuador have received notice that their passports and other official documents have been revoked or cancelled. “The actions of retaliation include cancelled passports and travel document extensions,” she said. “In all cases, these people have family in Venezuela who have participated in protests or who have spoken publicly against the election fraud.”

In an interview with the news site Ecuadorenvivo, Jaramillo said actions of the Venezuelan government represent a continuation of “business as usual in a corrupt dictatorship.” According to Jaramillo, refugees with Venezuelan families who oppose the Maduro government have been routinely punished, some being refused reentry into Venezuela. “This is what we have come to expect,” she said. “The oligarchy is punishing the poor.”

Noboa imposes curfews in high-crime areas
President Daniel Noboa has imposed a nighttime curfew in 20 cities and towns experiencing high rates of crime. The curfew, which begins at 10 p.m. and ends at 5 a.m., applies to communities in Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Orellana, Santa Elena and El Oro Provinces, as well as to Camilo Ponce Enríquez in western Azuay Province.

According to the presidential press office, the curfew is ordered under the July 2 emergency declaration and is part of the government’s efforts to dismantle criminal gangs and cartels. “While criminal activity is on the decline, especially murders, we continue to battle crime organizations in Ecuador. This battle will continue until we can assure all citizens of security in their communities,” a presidential spokesman said.

Assembly ends impeachment trial
The National Assembly voted Wednesday to end the impeachment trial against Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld. According to the Citizens Revolution party, Sommerfeld had committed a breach of duty but supporting the April raid on the Mexican embassy to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas.

In his motion to end the trial, Assemblyman César Umaginga blamed the Correistas for “wasting valuable Assembly time by supporting one of their corrupt confederates,” claiming that Ecuadorian law cannot be subject to “political whims.”

The vote to end impeachment was 76 in support with 44 opposed, all from Citizens Revolution members.