The key facts

  • Luisa González was detained on Thursday in the canton of Chone in Manabí province in a case of alleged money laundering and campaign financing violations.
  • González accused the Noboa government of political persecution and claimed torture of political prisoners without providing details.
  • Her party called the detention an abduction; Petro called Ecuador a dictatorship, Evo Morales expressed solidarity.

Detention in Manabí

Ecuadorian police on Thursday detained Luisa González, a former presidential candidate, in the coastal province of Manabí, the outlet Primicias reported, citing the Zone 4 police command. The operation took place in the canton of Chone. The detention is linked to an investigation into alleged money laundering and violations in the financing of an election campaign. The Attorney General's Office said it had issued detention orders for three people during operations in the provinces of Manabí and Pichincha.

Reaction from González and her party

González accused the government of President Daniel Noboa of political persecution and restricting freedoms. She wrote on X that she could be arrested 'on absurd charges,' called on progressive forces to unite in defense of democracy, and said the country had found itself in an 'unrestrainable situation,' blaming the authorities for economic mismanagement, large-scale corruption and violence. She also claimed that political prisoners are subjected to mistreatment and torture, without providing details. The Revolución Ciudadana party and its lawyers called the detention arbitrary; party leader Gabriela Rivadeneira called it an abduction and demanded her immediate release. The party also demanded that González's whereabouts be disclosed and that lawyers be allowed access to her.

International reaction

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the detention, calling Ecuador a dictatorship that began with electoral fraud. According to him, the country's so-called shield is not protection from drug trafficking but a 'shield against democracy'; he gave no details. Former Bolivian President Evo Morales expressed solidarity with González, calling the detention unjust, and said that González and other left-wing politicians had become targets of a regional campaign to persecute politicians and criminalize social movements.

Context

González ran against Noboa in the 2023 and 2025 elections and lost the runoff to him in 2023. At the time of publication, the authorities had not publicly disclosed all the charges against her and had not confirmed when official charges would be brought.